the Hero & the Potions Master
by XxEJMxX
Summary: Harry needs to skip across the pond to gather research for his career. He settles in Manhattan for the time being, and the universe spits a very interesting genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist right at Harry's feet. Will Harry take Tony Stark's gilded mask for granted and disappear, or will he delve deeper to find a man very similar to himself?
1. Chapter 1

_ "I headed West I was a man on the move, London had lied to me, I needed the truth. Oh I needed somebody, I needed someone I could trust." _

He had heard the same song in his mind, stuck on repeat, for the last six or so hours. Nothing else quite filled the silence of the other sleeping passengers on the plane. Nothing else quite reminded him of home, the home he had to leave. He loved England. He missed England already. Sure he had some pretty awful memories of the place. He was abused there, in his childhood home, his parents were murdered there, he had to fight and kill there, and many other exploits that shouldn't belong to a mere child.

But he was now an adult, and as much as he loved the moors and the rainy days that matched his mood and the crammed streets of London, he had to move on. He had avoided the proper goodbyes, and had not spoken to his makeshift family since his departure for India months ago. This was where he got his inspiration for away time; India was a wild place, a hot and cramped place full of so many people and religions and magics. He had the urge to travel, stronger than normal, and he needed to be ambiguous. His magic and his research were telling him it was a change of pace, and it was simply his selfish desires that kept him from contacting those important in his life. His research carried him to other places, namely the United States. His magic was pulling him across the pond, along with the urge to find new surroundings, new friends, and new ingredients for the potions he was currently developing.

Snape would have laughed in his face, if he would have known the great Harry Potter's choice of careers. But in all actuality Snape was the reason he decided to be a potions master in the first place. He had looked up to the man after snapping into reality. He never was a brat, per say, but there was quite a lot of growing up that came with killing a man and delving into his sexuality and actually getting over petty differences following the war. He respected Snape: as a soldier, as a man, and most certainly as a potions master.

The plane fumbled in the air a little, settling around the wind in a bit of turbulence. He had less than an hour on the plane until he touched ground in one the international Mecca's of the world. New York was painted to be a cultured and modern city, full of town homes and high-rises and nice businesses and varying races. These were the kinds of places he loved; Delhi, Beijing, Tokyo, etc. He knew that New York held it's circle of dark secrets, being infiltrated with its share of vampires and wolves and wizards. He planned on heading further West after a month, which was probably how long it would take him to clear customs in the wizarding world. Even though they knew he _probably _meant no harm, they needed to make sure he wasn't a homicidal foreign maniac before letting him traipse around the United States. He currently planned on throwing himself into travel and potions work to get rid of the early-May drearies.

The clouds were beginning dissipate as the plane neared land. Harry was tempted to pick up Snape's journal again; he had poured over it numerous times for more hints and clues, but he was largely on his own. He was trying to develop a new and improved wolfsbane potion, one that would be less painful for the weres, and one that would hurt their wolf-half less. He was also in the process of trying to find a suitable formula to make a "sunscreen" of sorts for vampires. America was sure to offer some ingredients that couldn't be found elsewhere. After his research here was concluded he would head South. Into Colombia and Chile and Peru and eventually deep inside the Amazon.

The plane violently hit the ground, jarring Harry as he held a little tighter to Snape's leather bound journal. He stared out the window at the sparkling city. There seemed to be cars still around, even though he was at the John F. Kennedy airport, seemingly thirty minutes or so out of the hustle and bustle of the actual New York City. He had decided to stay in the business district of Manhattan, being as how one of the American equivalents to the Ministry of Magic was located in that area. This made it easier for checking in to be his first order of business in the morning.

Well later in the morning, he thought as he glanced at the watch which spit 2:57 A.M. at him mockingly. He had to get his baggage, a cab, and get checked in, which meant he wouldn't be in bed until at least 4:30. He sighed and waited for first class to be boarded off, clutching Snape's journal a little tighter than necessary.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning light broke through the windows far too early for Harry's liking. He was already cursing the day and cursing the honking and boisterous New Yorkers before he had even rolled over to check the time. According to the alarm clock it was currently 7:04 A.M. which meant, after the hassle of baggage claim and the hotel employees earlier this morning, he had gotten approximately three hours and twenty minutes worth of sleep. Harry grumbled and pulled himself beneath the warmth of the duvet, wishing to curl further into a cocoon. After lugging about for a few more minutes, he stretched lightly and started his morning routine, spelling the curtains closed with a wave of his hand. It simply wouldn't do to have some passerby ogling him through the hotel window.

He trudged to the bathroom, starting the shower before brushing his teeth in order to amass nice amount of steam in the large bathroom. He loved ritzy hotel bathrooms. They always had the biggest walk-in showers and the absolute best bath tubs. He wasn't used to being flashy with his money, but he did enjoy being a bit more indulgent than necessary at times. It wasn't on trivial things such as nice cars or adorned watches or designer brands, it was things he had missed during his childhood. Like warm, comfortable, and nice fitting clothes, decadent and tasteful meals, comfortable beds and warm showers.

He stepped into the shower, and felt a little bit better about the morning he had already come to hate. He never was a morning person. Not when he had to wake up at 4 A.M. to make the Durseley's breakfast, not when he had to be to early classes on time after a 2 A.M. astronomy class the night before, and especially not when he went cross-country hunting for horcruxes. He was nocturnal and he loved to sleep late into the morning, which he rarely got to do. Potions work certainly hadn't improved his sleeping habits. Ingredient harvesting was occasionally complex, since the more delicate potions ingredients he worked with usually required certain time specifications in order to be potent. Whenever he was doing his final stage of potions internship, he had to construct a very, very powerful healing draught. This particular draught not only had difficult and labor intensive brewing instructions, but its core ingredient was also a flower which only bloomed during a period about an hour long, during autumn, on a full-harvest-moon, at night.

He kept a hectic sleeping schedule, but maybe while in America he could regulate it and be a little touristy. He viewed this expedition as a possibly permanent vacation from Britain. He realized that wizards aged slower and he was doubtful he would die anytime soon, he had clawed and fought to survive this far into his life, and his mid-twenties had barely kicked off. He wanted to slow down and take more time to observe his surroundings and make memories, while spending less time working and fighting with ghosts from the past.

This little bit of normalcy and thirst for life he had encountered was normal for his age. He wanted to stabilize his career and do something to put his name in history books, besides kill a dark lord and head a war. This "growing up" of sorts included finding someone to spend the rest of his life with. If such a person even existed. It would be rare enough to find someone willing to accept his amount of baggage, let alone someone to possibly share his insane lifestyle. He was a wizard after all...an emotionally scarred wizard...an emotionally scarred, occasionally homicidal wizard...an emotionally scarred, occasionally homicidal wizard with a consuming career...an emotionally scarred, occasionally homicidal wizard with a consuming career and very complex mental issues and large social anxieties and numerous skeletons in his closet and he wasn't even that attractive, to be honest.

But if he could not find a mate, which he doubted he would, he would be more than fine with making his own memories and legacy, without someone looking to exploit him for fame, money, power, or a title.

* * *

><p>He couldn't wait to get out of this building. It seemed, even though he was covering his scar, everyone in the reception area already knew exactly who he was, and wanted to bombard him with questions. It made his stomach churn. Would they still look up to him if they knew his past? Who he had to kill to accomplish his goal? What the war was really like?<p>

"Potter, Harry" called the bored looking receptionist from, what he assumed was, the Jurassic period. He quickly stood, glad to be away from the scrutiny of large crowds and gawking people.

"Mister Potter" said the American ambassador, rising from her chair to give a polite half-bow,

"It is an honor, please sit. Can I get you tea or coffee?" He politely declined even though he would have killed for coffee at this hour of the morning.

"Well then, let's get to it. Your visa is processing clearance, it should be cleared by the end of the week; however, we need you to stay in the New York area for a few weeks after that, standard protocol I assure you. Then you are free to go wherever you wish, without limit by our governments." Harry was shocked for a moment, he knew that their government would often put travel limits on foreign wizards and witches, in fact they were known for it.

"Well thank you so much ma'am. I really appreciate this, more than you know." He stood to shake her hand, as he assumed the meeting was over.

"If you would like, there are several very helpful travel brochures my assistant can give you...I assume you're here on vacation?" she said warmly, before stuttering,

"You don't have too...My apologies for being too personal," Harry gave a throaty chuckle before amending,

"Oh no, you're quite right. I want to be a tourist for a while. Thank you very much for attending to my business personally," she smiled tightly and he could tell she was still hung up on the fact she got a little nosey.

"Well, here's my card Mister Potter. We have your contact information, so expect to hear from us in a few days regarding your visa. I hope you have a wonderful time in the United States," she smiled and extended her card. He bowed a little to her, took the card in his hand, and quickly exited the office.

He made sure to stop by her assistant's desk, even though he really didn't need to brochures, before leaving the building to find coffee.

* * *

><p>AN: thanks to all of you for your encouraging reviews :) I'm glad you like it so much, and I'm already working on the next chapter, where Tony comes in ;)  
>Thanks to: WereBunny87, Fae0306, discussionsonpaper, xDarklightx, 917brat, and ChibiAyane for reviewing!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you all again for your reviews! It means so much to me that you all like this idea!  
>Let me respond to one reviewer in particular:<p>

Dear Fast Frank (my lovely anonymous reviewer),

Thank you for your constructive criticism. First of all, I do not understand what you mean by saying there was a flashback to London? There wasn't a flashback to London that I am aware of. I certainly didn't intend for there to be a flashback when I scribed the second chapter. If you were talking about the discussing of potions ingredients, this bit of information relayed back into discussing his sleep schedule.  
>As far as I'm concerned, we (in the real world) flashback any moment of any day. Memories can be triggered by certain words or songs or anything really, and most of the time, they are relevant to what is occurring in the present. Though your opinion may be different, I did wish for Harry to have free will to reminisce however he wishes. The war haunts him frequently, in this fiction, if you cannot tell.<br>Also, I am aware that ambassadors do not usually handle such things personally; however, he is Harry Potter. As much as he doesn't want the fame, he has it. He gets special treatment, even if he would prefer to be normal. Which is why he gets to meet with the ambassador in her office. She was probably chomping at the bit to get a glimpse of _the _Harry Potter anyways.  
>Furthermore, upon my phrasing of "business district" and "boarded off," this is creative writing, this is fiction, and if it hampers your reading experience that much, do not read my story. There are plenty of other fictions out there that are well written and better developed than mine.<br>I am sorry that my writing has upset you this much, and I would change it; however, I happen to like it how it is. I am free to use whatever phrases I wish, whether or not you have heard of the phrase before. I am from the South and I know quite a bit of colorful phrases I am sure you have never heard of or used before. Diction is, after all, up to the writer and not the reader, to the reader's occasional dismay.  
>But again, thank you very much for your concerned review, happy reading!<p>

Yours truly,  
>Elizabeth<p>

* * *

><p>He was hard pressed to find a good cafe these days. It seemed everywhere he went, he was surrounded by people wanting his autograph, and children wanting photos or to ask questions. It's not that he minded that much really, it even inflated his ego a little. But some days, he didn't want to be Tony Stark anymore. Because Tony Stark was just as easily recognized universally as Iron Man was. Occasionally, he wanted to be normal, to be a face in the crowd.<p>

He was a charismatic people lover, but sometimes he wanted to be invisible and easily forgettable. He tried his second cafe for the morning, sighing as he noticed that almost no one was in here save for a shorter man, ordering a coffee from the barista. He took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack next to the door, straightening his Metallica t-shirt before heading to stand in line behind the slighter man.

He liked this cafe. It was painted in muted plums with grey and mustard accents, and the artwork was modern with hints of art deco. He happened to like art deco. Stark Tower should have been fashioned similarly the Chrysler Building. He sighed and shoved his hands in his jean pockets, wondering why there weren't more people here. The cafe seemed nice enough, if not a little tucked back into a quiet corner. But isn't that what all of these hip teenagers wanted these days? Underground restaurants and un-discovered bands and forgotten locales?

The slighter man in front of him turned around with his coffee, heading to a back table near a window to settle with a book. Tony's breath hitched a bit upon receiving a millisecond of eye contact. He usually didn't observe people superficially, he was more interested in getting into people's brains and observing behavior. The only figures he observed in a superficial sense were women, with long legs and large breasts and tiny waists.

But this man, barely reaching 5'6", wore a mop of charcoal hair paired with the most intriguing green eyes. They weren't emerald green really, but they were a darker shade of green with these strokes of sea-glass green around his pupils. The most intriguing thing to Tony though, was that this man looked right through him. Even though the mousy, brunette barista was staring at him like a love-lorn cherub, this man looked straight past him.

Tony didn't know whether to be happy or a bit aggravated. The one person he would have loved to bombard him with requests was pretending he didn't exist. He was almost frustrated as he ordered his coffee, black, and headed to sit across from the man.

He didn't even look up from his novel, which Tony had observed was _Candide_ by Voltaire. Tony was preparing to clear his throat when the man asked,

"May I help you?" in a throaty, almost unused voice, still without looking up. Must've been a good chapter.

"Well, not particularly. I was just wondering, if you would tell me what your name is?" Tony found himself suddenly nervous, knocked a bit off course than he normally was, because of the man's demeanor.

"Why does it matter?" the man responded, finally looking up from his book and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Tony realized, from the lilt of his voice, that he was British. His appearance wasn't very masculine, but Tony didn't really mind. He had a nicely sloped nose and shapely lips and his large almond eyes looked almost too large for his face beneath the magnification of the glasses.

"Excuse me?" Tony responded, a bit flabbergasted. This man radiated some sort of pull that he couldn't explain. He was surrounded by this sort of energy that was entrancing and comforting, if not a bit frightening. Tony seemed to know he had the capability to be a lot more personable than he was letting on, and that he was deeply intelligent if not a bit socially awkward.

"Well, we are but two men, who met by chance, in a city of about 9 million people. We will most likely not meet again, so why bother to know each other's names?" The man seemed to be smirking, his eyes warm and sparkling. Tony knew he was playing with him, amused by the man's reactions. He had been paying attention to him even if he had appeared to be reading. Curious.

"Anthony Stark" Tony said, extending his hand. The man stared at it for a moment before smiling and grabbing it in a firm handshake.

"Harry Potter" The name suited him. It was playful and it rolled off the tongue. Tony was a bit shell-shocked however,

"You don't know who I am?" he asked, a bit puzzled that there was no sign of reaction from the slighter man upon hearing his name,

"No?" Harry gave him a quizzical glance, "I'm assuming you know who I am?" Harry asked surreptitiously, seeming almost nervous to know the answer. Tony shook his head no and slowly let go of Harry's hand. It seemed two egos had met in an impasse, and neither knew the other's fame. Tony smiled, he saw this shaping up to be a wonderful friendship.

* * *

><p>"Bruce! I have met the most agreeable fellow!" Tony screamed upon entering his labs at Stark Tower,<p>

"Oh so you're into boys now?" Bruce called to him, his eyes not moving from the microscope. What was it with everyone not making eye contact to talk to him today? Tony dropped his jacket haphazardly onto a lab chair, moving towards where Bruce was.

"That is irrelevant, what really matters here is that he is apparently famous too, but we have agreed not to research each other until after our next meeting. What matters more than that is, we share common literary tastes and worldly tastes. He enjoys physics and Shakespeare and chemistry and Poe and cars and art and Wilde and it's simply amazing that, as he would say, amongst almost 9 million people within New York City we have crossed paths,"

"If I were a superstitious man, which I am, I would say it were the Fates; and you definitely know you're going to give into your famous curiosity and research him before then," Bruce chuckled and finally looked up from his large microscope, putting his glasses back on and blinking to focus. Tony glanced at him as if he were a touch mad, which Bruce was, and continued to ramble.

"I met him at this coffee shop, which was deserted and why I love it already, and he was reading a book and he drank black coffee like me and he had this, like, aura about him and he had the nicest eyes and-"

"Do you have a crush Tony? Because you sound like a young girl." Bruce chuckled, before turning to mark something down in his notebook. Tony just glared at him, opening his mouth for a smart retort, when the lab door slid open and Steve poked his head in.

"So we have a conference with Fury in a few minutes. Apparently a potentially dangerous man from Britain is currently on American soil with "seemingly nice intentions" and we just _have_ to have a meeting about how to handle his arrival and his surveillance while he's in the city," Steve rolled his eyes, grumbling about paranoid leaders and exiting the room almost as quickly as he had appeared. Bruce and Tony looked at each other for a moment, the silence growing between them as the gears in each man's head turned.

"Is this man British Tony?" Tony ran his hand through his hair and looked out the window-like walls to see Manhattan below him, before turning back to Bruce.

"I'm afraid so" He said in a quiet voice, before turning to exit the lab, eyes trained on the floor and hands in his pockets.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews! And I'm very sorry St. Valentine, but sadly, Nicholas Fury is a very far reaching man with his hand in very many political pies ;( so not very much suspense.  
>Hope y'all like the chapter!<p>

* * *

><p>"Harry James Potter," Fury's booming voice penetrated the bored looks surrounding his meeting table.<p>

Anthony Stark sat up just a little bit straighter. He couldn't believe what was happening. It was flying over his head faster than a SR-71 Blackbird. The whole depth of this situation was out of his immediate coping range and out of his momentary comprehension.

"British Wizard, believed to be about 30 years of age, if he were aging normally. He is possibly in mid-twenties in wizard years, which means he is in prime physical shape. He is five feet, five inches, has black hair and green eyes," Nick pulled a picture out of the file and threw it on the table for the heroes to pass around. Colonel continued, "but most importantly, he is a VIP war veteran."

"So wizards _really_ exist?" asked Hawkeye incredulously. Tony was surprised he could be incredulous about anything after what he had seen and been through. Thor nodded,

"Wizards are prominent in Asgard. My brother Loki," some around the table darkened and tensed at the name, "is what you Midgardians would call a magician."

Black Widow imperceptibly tapped Hawkeye's hand in a consoling manner. Most of the team still had not forgotten what Loki had done to their city, even if it was almost a year ago now.

"Why do we need to know this?" Bruce said what Tony wanted to say, without all of the assholery he would have included.

"He is a potential threat, I'd go so far as to say a potential level 3 threat. We remember what happened the last time a war hardened wizard strolled into the country," Fury gave a pointed glance, and Bruce had the heart to look a little sheepish about his reaction to Loki's mention a few moments ago.

"How do we know he is a threat? Have we even contacted him?" asked Steve skeptically.

"Even if he does not look the part Captain, he has killed his fair share of men, even if it were in the name of the greater good. I would believe him capable of large destruction if he were triggered or pushed. His power levels are greater than most normal wizards, and a bit more unstable than most normal wizards. He is reaching the age where most of the really powerful wizards mate to gain stability in their magiks, according to my quite extensive research." Tony rolled his eyes. He had wanted to be the first to be an expert in Harry, but Fury had beat him to the punch. Bet he doesn't know how Harry takes his coffee…The silence was beginning to be unbearable, so he asked first question on the tip of his tongue.

"What part did he play in his war?" said Tony, in a lower voice. Thor, being more perceptive than one might think, looked at him in concern. Did he know this mortal magician maybe? Was that why the Man of Iron was acting so strangely?

"He was a soldier from birth. There was an insane wizard by the name of Tom Riddle that wanted to take over the wizard world of Britain. There were a lot of tumultuous political dances involved, but long story short, there was a prophecy and a magical occurrence which bound them together, which forced them to fight to the death. Many were killed during this long war and eventually he had to step up and finish it. He is the type of person who morphs into a killing machine by threat, he is deadly under the pressure of war. This is why I believe he is capable of being a threat to not only the city, but to the entire United States."

Fury finished his speech and settled down momentarily into his chair at the head of the table. Tony was trying not to let his emotions wage war openly on his face. The Harry he had met only hours ago didn't seem to be a killer. He had a powerful aura about him, but some people just happen to possess that presence naturally. He seemed kind, gentle, careful, and playful. He held a bit of childish impishness to him that didn't seem to be touched by war or hardship. Tony knew not to be fooled by such superficial things, but he hadn't recognized any of the tell-tale signs of a veteran. Then again, he also wasn't looking for a warrior...

"So what do we do about it?" asked Natasha during yet another tense silence. Tony closed his eyes and massaged them gingerly. How could he possibly explain this to Harry when they met morning after next at the coffee shop?

"We need to put him under surveillance. Due to his power level and honed instincts, we cannot use traditional methods. We may have to plant several of you, so you can "accidentally" bump into him in random parts of the city. In fact, we may need to bring in someone specialized in magic to help us..." Fury looked at each agent's face carefully, waiting for a reaction. Tony grasped the idea Fury was suggesting before the others at the conference table,

"You mean to bring a megalomanic God, who tried to genocide the entire human race, back to the city he invited a hostile alien race to invade? To babysit a wizard who may not even be dangerous?" Tony ground out, glaring at Colonel Fury. Understanding seemed to dawn on the others around the table simultaneously,

"You cannot be serious," Hawkeye said hysterically before standing up and slamming his hands on the table.

"You want to bring him back here after what he did?" he screamed. Nick just looked on calmly. Thor didn't say a word, moving his jaw as if he were participating in some sort of inner debate.

"Thor has been giving me updates of Loki's progress. He has been on earth for several months, in the same circumstances we met Thor under in New Mexico. He has been stripped of his powers and title, and forced to make a life for himself among humans. He has been gaining humility and guilt for what he has done. He has also been learning to sympathize with those he used to believe inferior, mending his moral code if you will."

"Where have you been keeping him?!" Hawkeye screamed once more, almost manic at this point. His breathing was labored and Tony had never seen the man so bent out of shape. Natasha stood up to rub his shoulders and stroke his hair, calming a caged beast.

"In Virginia. He's been working for a bakery. Thor informed me he was a skilled cook, and so I set up the job for him. He's been living in an apartment with a human roommate and taking the bus to work everyday. He even volunteers at a soup kitchen on the weekends." Hawkeye had calmed a little, but only marginally.

"So you're bringing him back to New York?" Steve whispered, cradling his head in his hands and sighing.

Fury nodded and stood from the table, throwing everyone a folder on Harry James Potter before striding confidently out of the room.  
>That man was infuriating but, if nothing else, he was a walking file-folder of information and grand schemes.<p>

* * *

><p>Harry couldn't believe that such people existed, bumping into wizards randomly in hole-in-the-wall coffee shops. Even though they had made a promise not to research each other until after their next meeting, he couldn't help casting a quick point me spell to the nearest internet cafe. He sat down with a turkey and swiss sandwich and pulled up Google. Harry had very limited experience with technology, IPhones and laptops were a bit too much for him. His magic interfered with the frequencies, if he used them on a long term basis. If he needed to write or record something, pen and ink on paper was better than anything.<p>

The name Anthony Stark pulled up an alarming amount of information:  
>The Iron Man.<br>A billionaire.  
>The head of Stark Industries.<br>A lead in self-sustainable energy.  
>The most eligible bachelor of 2012.<br>An Orphan.  
>A philanthropist.<br>An Avenger.

He had done a lot more digging, staying in the cafe until closing time. He stood and threw away his trash. Looking at his wrist watch, he cursed the need he felt to procure a computer to do more digging on Anthony Edward Stark. He found a suitable electronics store and purchased one to finish his findings. This man was extremely interesting, interesting enough to keep him up all night. There were many things that held his interest, like literature, science, magic, potions, cultures, history, and many other things. But Tony Stark was in a category of his own making.

Of course Harry knew he was entertaining from sitting with him and mutually sharing bits of their interests. He figured he was well educated, and despite his dress that day, wealthy. He had also picked up on hints of narcissism, cockiness, a bit of crudeness, and brashness. Harry could see now that he had misdiagnosed Anthony's "acting before thinking" attitude as being pigheaded (which the man most likely was anyways) and foolhardy, when actually it was a nice sized hero complex. Not as large as his, but Anthony definitely felt some sort of obligation to being a martyr and putting the people around him in front of himself. Or, actually, putting his "invincible" iron suit in front of civilians in danger.

They had so much in common. Being an orphan, fighting in wars, inheriting large sums of money, intelligence, hero complexes, a hidden wish for normalcy (which Harry just _assumed_ Tony possessed), similar interests, similar tastes, and the list could continue. Anthony had actually promised to take him to a nice Mediterranean place closer to the center of Manhattan after their next meeting at the coffee shop, and then to a museum of art. Now he could understand why Anthony chose that particular restaurant; Stark Tower was simply down the street and around the corner from the eatery.

Harry made a split-second decision, closing the laptop lid and gliding to the bathroom to shower and dress. He needed to be a bit more alert if he were to walk into Stark Tower this early in the morning after an all-nighter. One sports coat, button up, information dig, and spritz of aftershave later, he was out the door of his hotel room and down the street hailing a cab.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry had always liked revolving doors. As a child, they were wondrous; he could, and would, run around in circles all day long. This was one of the few pleasures he remembered from his childhood, this particular joy came from being Petunia's shopping bag donkey at the mall. Harry straightened and forced himself to move instead of just staring at the ostentatious column of light, steel, and concrete.

Upon entering, he was met with an immaculate lobby, a receptionist taking calls and appointing people to their locations, and a large reception area, nearly 1/3 full. Harry had hacked into Jarvis' mainframe using magic, and even though Jarvis was a computer operated being, he still fell victim to compulsion spells. Harry wasn't going to snoop on Tony anymore than necessary, he wanted to hear all about the man from the man himself, he just liked knowing what sort of situation he was walking into. The bottom floor held bathrooms, elevators, and stairwells to the garage submersed below the building. There wasn't an actual security hub, because Tony could survey the entire building at a click of a button. However, there were a few uniformed men, that Harry suspected to be SHIELD agents. He had done tons of digging on SHIELD as well. He wasn't a skilled computer hacker, as much as he had connections. He got lucky with Stark's AI. Very lucky. He was only going to attempt it, when the AI popped up. But Lucky should very well be his middle name at this point.

In his snooping, he had encountered the blueprint of the tower, which was what he was looking for in the first place. He liked being prepared, and part of that was knowing possible escape routes, if necessary. He had skimmed through the plans, finding that the first 20 floors of the 93-storey tower were offices, including Stark's own formal office. However, Harry felt like he already had an insight into Tony, and he had a feeling that the man would probably prefer working from his own home. The next few floors were apartment floors, since the great entertainer Anthony Stark always had guests popping in. He had a pool floor (complete with sauna and spa services), a gym floor, a combat room, two conjoined floors that made a large (and beautiful) library, and a large gaming room. What piqued Harry's interest out of the "common floors," happened to be a "creative" floor, which he assumed meant pianos and musical instruments and art supplies and tranquil spaces would take the cake for that area.

The man honestly had more floors than he knew what to do with. According to his floor-plan, he kept about 25 middle floors open, just in case he needed something specific, and probably to keep a nice cushion between the normalities and the Avengers Initiative.

Following all of Stark's luxuries, the Avengers segment of his tower began. It started very subtly, with several unspecified floors that Harry assumed were laboratories or R&D floors due to their layout. Then there were five apartments labeled with each Avenger's name, including a "Green Giant Proof" floor, enforced with vibranium and 4-inch thick plexiglass windows. Above his team's quarters were some extra apartment floors for the likes of extra agents. To finish off the habitat area for the Avengers, there was a floor labeled "common room," which Harry tapped into the cameras to find was a large space resembling a living room and kitchen combined. Above that was a weapons floor, firing range included, and then above that a weapons research and development. There were about three floors taken by a meeting/intelligence area, which acted as a mini-SHIELD headquarters whenever necessary. There was an add-on floor above the intelligence areas that was a containment floor for any villains apprehended. From what Harry understood, the Avengers team lived here during most of the year. Whenever they weren't on missions or holidays or in their own homes, they lived here.

Right before Tony's apartment were two floors for Pepper Potts to use as she wished, most likely apartments, but they were labeled by her name. And above all this grand tower of money and power was a private elevator, activated only by Tony's hand print, retina scan, and passcode. Or, perchance, if you were Virginia Potts or deemed familial, you received a passcode of your own. This private elevator lead to about 5 floors worth of Tony's personal apartments. Tony's official laboratory was tied into his apartments, as well as his work room where the suits were stored and operated on. Included in Tony's apartments was a very acoustically designed floor, labeled "The Den of Rock." Tony certainly had a sense of humor and he labeled his personal floors more liberally than the rest of the building.

Harry's favorite part of Tony's personal quarters, even though the sun deck/landing pad extending from Tony's apartment was nice, was the observatory which took up two floors up and onto the roof. He had telescopes and star charts and Harry was very excited to see it.

The receptionist didn't even look at him as he strolled to the main desk, hands in his pockets, non-confrontational as always.

"Name and appointment?"

"James, and no appointment," the receptionist laughed a little and looked up to see that Harry was completely serious,

"I'm sorry but I legitimately thought you were joking. No one comes in here without an appointment." She deadpanned staring at him in what was supposed to be an intimidating manner.

"Well, you see, Mr. Stark and I are...close...friends and I am sure he could find a few moments in his busy schedule to speak with me," once again, the impeccably dressed woman laughed at Harry being completely serious, and he finally just rolled his eyes. He whispered an imperius charm, and the woman immediately picked up her phone.

"Mrs. Potts? Yes we have a visitor, says he's very important, wants to speak to Mr. Stark...does he have a name? Yes of course. James," the receptionist looked to him expectantly,

"Potter" he whispered,

"Potter. James Potter," she reiterated, she then listened, nodding her head, and hung up the large desk phone.

"Mrs. Potts, who is Mr. Stark's personal secretary, will consult with him on your arrival and she will then give me further instructions" Harry nodded, a bit more complacent now and he removed the spell. The receptionist looked a little lost for a moment, before going back to her work of answering phones. None of the other people in the reception area seemed to pay the encounter any attention. Harry took to watching the revolving door, as people watching was a habit of his. He resisted the urge to pull out his pocket novel of the day, which happened to be The Little Prince. Most took the book for children's rubbish and anyone who said so to him would have to fight him. He wasn't a rowdy bloke, but he had a killer instinct that laid dormant within him, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Suddenly the elevator doors opened and Harry was distracted from his revolving door watching. A posh, delicate strawberry blonde woman in three inch heels slinked out of the elevator and headed towards him. She made eye contact and he wondered how she knew exactly who he was.

"Pepper Potts, at your service Mr. Potter." Mrs. Potts looked him up and down, and seemed to approve of his nice jeans, trainers, button up, and blazer.

"I was surprised, normally Tony gets many visitors in this fashion, but he rarely concedes to meeting them. You must be special," she smiled and extended her hand, firm grip Harry noted, to give him a handshake.

"Follow me and we will proceed to the biology laboratory, where he is. He very specifically wanted you to ride on the outside elevator, where you can see the breathtaking view of the city." Mrs. Potts smiled politely and offered her arm to Harry, which he readily took.

"So tell me Mr. Potter, how did you two meet?" she asked slyly as the elevator moved upward. Harry sighed fractionally, there was no going back on his decision now.

* * *

><p>"Is that who I think it is?" Bruce asked, looking over Tony's shoulder into the live-feed of elevator C. Tony was smiling slightly at Harry's look of wonderment at the view.<p>

"Yes" Tony whispered,

"Why is he here? I thought you weren't supposed to research each other? I thought he didn't know who you were?" Bruce fired off questions, pacing behind Tony. If it were any random stranger, he would be cautious, but a bit less concerned. This man was a relatively large blip under SHIELD's radar at the moment, and it wouldn't be long before someone noticed he was here. Someone being Fury possibly, if he hadn't headed back to the official New York office yet.

"We didn't know each other. Unless he has good instincts with which he'll know I knew about him, he wasn't supposed to research me. But I suppose it's only fair." Tony mused, still enthralled by Harry's reactions. Tony had taken Harry's file and broken down every single part, and even done his own bit of extensive research via hacking the British government's mainframe. Once he found nothing there, he dug a little deeper, in an archaically fashioned website on a newspaper named the Daily Prophet.

"How are you going to go about this Tony?"

"Do you want the truth or do you want me to lie to you?" Bruce pinned him with a glare, this was a very serious situation and of course Anthony would be cracking sarcastic jokes. Tony sighed and chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of his neck before answering,

"Let's go with the truth...I have absolutely no clue on how to handle this."

* * *

><p>"Sir Fury, why do you think bringing my brother here will help? I am not sure he is ready, I am not sure my warrior friends are ready" voiced Thor while Fury prepared orders for Thor to retrieve Loki. Fury turned to look at Thor steadily,<p>

"Even if it may not seem like it, I do have an emotional investment in this team. I would do whatever I would have to in order to save your skin Odinson. The same goes for Romanoff, Banner, Stark, Barton, Rogers, Coulsen, Hill, and whoever else is in trouble. I saw the potential in Loki whenever he attacked the city. He was emotionally fucked up, but he could do great things for both Asgard and humanity. He could get his emotions under control and dealt with, that's what shrinks are for." Thor looked at Fury with an unnamed emotion, a bit bemused at what a "shrink" was. Finally, someone could share the sympathy for his brother that he did. Even though Loki did not want his affection, Thor tried to give it to him, and even though it was a slow moving process Loki was starting to open up again.,

"I am simply not sure if bringing two "potentially dangerous" warlocks into the city is a smart idea Sir Fury" Thor said again, twisting his hands around the handle of Mjölnir.

"It's quite alright Odinson, I have this worked out in my head." Thor looked at Fury with a bit of doubt, but If Thor knew how much Fury had planned in his head, then he would be assured. Colonel Fury gave Thor his papers and everything else he needed before stalking away.

Fury had known that introducing Loki would rile the team, just like he knew that Rogers would take the bait on the faked Captain America cards that day. Rogers hadn't known that Coulsen was already in recovery, being shocked back to life. Fury also knew that this innocent looking wizard would garner their sympathy, at being seemingly blindsided by SHIELD tracking and surveillance. He was essentially killing two birds with one stone in this particular scheme. He would test Loki, on a specific set of events that would ensure the safety of civilians. He would also test and introduce Harry Potter to the rest of his team. He wanted this man as a liaison, he was powerful, and Fury wanted to know exactly how powerful. Fury knew he wouldn't take kindly to governmental manipulation after what had happened to him in Europe. Fury had read his entire file, for everything he needed to know on how to make the man tick, and he thought he had a pretty good understanding of what it would take. He had decided the moment that Potter sent his visa to be cleared, that he was on the maybe list for the Initiative.

"Why is he here?! Are you insane Stark?!" He heard Hawkeye's shrill shout from the floor down and smirked. Of course Nick had also known that Tony had already met the British wizard. He strolled leisurely out of his office area, and took the elevator down to the commons. His plan was accelerating faster than he thought possible.

Well, Nick Fury thought with a smirk, full speed ahead.

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I tried to make Fury a bit more understandable this time ;)  
>Hope you enjoyed the chapter!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Tony greeted him with open arms.  
>Literally.<br>Harry wasn't used to anyone hugging him, or even getting in his personal space. But Tony's hugs felt nice. He wasn't _that_ much larger than Harry, but he seemed to engulf him in warmth. Harry hadn't even realized he was cold, or that he had desperately wanted to feel the man's arms around his shoulders. Tony smelled like expensive cologne and a touch of mechanical fluid and this spicy cloves smell.

Tony reluctantly let Harry go after marveling at how Harry's head fit perfectly under his own.

"Harry"

"Anthony," Harry stepped back to see Pepper smiling kindly at them, and an unknown man watching their movements cautiously.

"Well, I need to leave now, board meetings can't attend themselves," joked the woman before giving Tony a stern look. That left the two men in the room with the other man, who was still perched on by the lab table.

"Harry Potter, this is Doctor Bruce Banner, my colleague" Harry moved to shake the doctor's hand,

"I love what you've done in lightwave particles and radiation studies," Bruce really shouldn't be shocked, Tony had told him that the slighter man was educated, but it suddenly hit him how intelligent Harry must be. This man didn't attend a school where they taught maths and chemistry and life sciences. He attended a school that focused on spell casting and divination and broom-centric sports.

"Well I'm glad someone enjoys my work," Bruce said with a tight smile before releasing the smaller man's hand. Bruce examined them, Harry was taking in the lab with a lighted interest in his eyes...and Tony was watching _Harry_ with lighted interest in his eyes.

"Maybe you should take Mr. Potter on a tour of the tower? I am sure he would enjoy seeing your library. Besides, I am going to be busy with research and won't offer much conversation" said Bruce, turning back to his microscopes with a bit of guilt after seeing the slight male's eyes glimmer at the mention of research. Tony took Harry's hand suddenly, startling the young wizard a bit before he gripped the other man's hand back and smiled.

* * *

><p>Tony took Harry on a tour of the tower, from the beginning of the facilities above the offices to the common floor, where they were currently. He was planning on taking Harry to his place next, where Tony envisioned they would go on a leisurely tour of his suit room and observatory before ordering food and maybe kissing for a bit. Tony was on cloud nine when the elevator doors opened, and was greatly shocked by Clint's outburst. Normally the man was calm and cool and collected and open to explanations. Tony knew it was because of the addition of Loki to their forces very soon. To Harry, it seemed that they had been greeted by a hysteric, yet stoic looking man, which seemed to be threatened by Harry's presence.<p>

"I'll ask again, are you you insane Stark?" Harry looked a bit confused, turning to look at his friend,

"You brought the potentially dangerous wizard into our facilities? Isn't it bad enough that Loki will have to live here soon?" suddenly it dawned on the shorter male the reason for this man's reaction, and he felt betrayal well up in his chest. He could feel his throat close a little and he fought tear as he turned to Anthony with a hurt, devastated look on his face.

"I figured you would research me thoroughly, but to inform your team of my _potential danger_ was a bit farfetched and rash I believe Mr. Stark. If you do not mind I will take my leave now, do not bother to look for me again, because you most certainly will not find me" Tony looked into Harry's eyes and grabbed hold of his hand tightly. He had just met him and it was certainly not his fault that the birdman was squawking, he could see Harry's tears forming and he wanted to pull the man into another hug. Tony opened his mouth, almost apologizing at the saddened look in Harry's eyes before the elevator doors opened with a bing.

"Actually Mister Potter the fault would be mine, I hope you can forgive our friend Iron Man, he has nothing to do with the alarm of my team members." Harry whipped around to face a tall, dark man with an eye patch and a frown, who was trying far too hard to give off an intimidating air. He was immediately reminded of Mad-Eye Moody, yet with none of the half-boiled insanity turned courageous morality, but all of the bravado and covertness.

The man extended his hand, and instead of taking it Harry turned to examine the other two people emerging from the elevator. The woman was moving to flank the man, while the other man was hanging back, watching the exchange with chagrin and sympathy. The woman had curves that Narcissa Black would die for coated in black leather, and her crimson bob swung around her face in a flattering way. However, she scared Harry far more than the Colonel, who was watching him carefully. She was a combination of Snape, Hermione, and Bellatrix. She held herself in the way of a spy, like Severus, she had a maternal forcefulness about her, a woman who missed her chance at children, and she looked a bit on the loose cannon side.

And for all of his interest in Tony, he could not drag his eyes away from the large blond hunk who acted as if he were Harry himself. He was gorgeous and muscular and unknowingly charismatic, yet he acted small and anxious and unsure of himself. This was the grand Captain America. Without the guise of his suit and shield he was vulnerable, like a Pureblood wizard set in the muggle streets of London without his robes or wand.

"You must be Colonel Nicholas Fury, Director of SHIELD and the assembler of the Avengers Initiative,"

"It seems we are not the only ones who are well informed" said the woman smirking, and placing her hand out in a manner similar to Fury's, which Harry still hadn't shaken.

His betrayal wasn't yet completely thrown off his shoulders. Maybe Tony was planning on warning him once they reached his personal apartments. But he had had plenty of opportunities as they toured libraries and laboratories and artistry rooms.

He reached out and grabbed the woman's hand, taking the firm grip for what it was, a woman not to be underestimated amongst her male co-workers.

"Natasha Romanoff?" Harry questioned, shaking her hand like a lady and bending to kiss it as per wizarding social customs. She looked a bit shell-shocked for a moment before smiling in a warm, predatory fashion and nodding. Fury cleared his throat and withdrew his hand to his side in an aggravated manner,

"As I was saying Mister Potter, the fault of your information being spread amongst my team was my fault. I was forced by my...higher ups to brief my team on the possibility of you becoming hostile." Harry immediately recognized a spark of Dumbledore within this man, and in turn held out his hand for Fury to shake. He was willing to play the game and bite the bait, if only to see what Fury's motives were, though he had a good idea already. If this Director were trying to drag him into American politics, he had no wish for it. If he were asking him to save lives, however, he would be hard-pressed to put his research above innocent people. But he knew people like Fury, and Harry knew that Fury probably thought he was "inside" Harry's head, a place that Harry would wish on no-one, and that Fury would pull the hero-complex card first and foremost.

Nick Fury took his hand and shook it cautiously, while Harry made eye contact, waiting for a proper length of time in which the Director would be properly warned to keep his distance.

"I've only counted four, where is the fifth?" Harry voiced, jamming his pockets and reverting to a blank sort of mask, trying to seem as unreadable as possible. Everyone looked a bit puzzled, and upon looking to Tony and softening a little, he reiterated,

"I see the Black Widow, the Hawk, the Captain, Dr. Banner was downstairs, and then of course, the Iron Man. But where is the Norse god? Didn't Mr. Barton say something regarding Loki Laufeyson?" Harry voiced in a carefully phrased manner, an attempt to show he knew less than he actually did. Fury caught on, narrowing his eye a little before replying,

"Thor is, indeed, fetching his brother."  
>Harry raised an eyebrow,<p>

"I don't follow American news much, but an alien race almost demolishing a world-centric city is pretty big news. Correct me if I'm wrong, sir, but you are bringing him here to contain me if necessary? That seems a bit risky. But if I am right in my assessments, you seem to relish in the possible risks and have already calculated probable outcomes."  
>Harry moved while he spoke, towards the nearest window to look at the bustling city below. Hawkeye and Natasha held their shock well, while Steve allowed himself to look a little more openly amazed. Tony simply looked proud, while Fury grew even more "intimidating."<p>

"You are a smart man Mister Potter, I am afraid you see right through me, and while in other circumstances I would butter you up and feed you half-truths I am almost certain you would walk out of my office without giving me the courtesy of even a maybe. So I'll be straight forward. I was planning on using Loki to contain you if it was necessary. I was also planning on asking you to consult for SHIELD on occasion, or be a part of the Avengers if you wished." Fury looked to the man who seemed to be locked on the view of this section of the city. Harry cleared his throat, and instead of responding to Fury's soliloquy, just asked,

"Who wants lunch? I'm a bit famished." Anthony couldn't help but smile winningly at him and walk up to his side,

"I am pretty hungry as well, does the offer of you making me lunch still stand?" Harry looked at him and tried to hang onto his previously felt hurt, but instead blushed at the scrutiny Anthony put him under,

"I wasn't aware I offered," the rest of the room looked on interestedly as the two men seemed to be in a private sphere, the chemistry and tension between them obvious to everyone but the two men.

"You didn't, nonetheless you brought up a fair amount of delicious sounding recipes yesterday morning and you mentioned cooking was a hobby, so I figured you may possibly want to impress me with your cooking skills." Harry rolled his eyes and turned to stare down at the city once more.

"It's not like I have anywhere else to be. Will any of you be eating with us as well?" As an answer, Romanoff strolled to the table and sat down where Clint had vacated upon the two men's arrival. Fury just turned and stalked to the elevator, knowing Harry was a lot smarter and a lot more shrewd than he let on, knowing that Harry would give him an answer once he had thought the decision through carefully. Steve just hung in the balance, unsure of the slighter male who had piqued the interest of so many difficult people.

Their team was a risk, exactly as the shorter man had pointed out.  
>Tony was volatile, Bruce was volatile, Hawkeye was volatile, Natasha was volatile, Thor was a curve ball, and Steve just wanted everyone to play nice. It had taken a series of well calculated risks to bring them into any semblance of a team or family. But somehow they had grown closer than Fury had realized, or even planned for. Tony and Bruce were fairly close, Steve was somewhat of an authority figure, and Hawkeye and Natasha tried to remain distant from everyone else; but somehow they had all grown to care about each other and know one another's ticks and tricks.<p>

Steve looked over the male once more, his wild black hair and wide green eyes and hands tucked un-threateningly into his pants pockets. No robes, no wand, no broom, no threats.

Steve took a seat at the table as Tony opened his mouth,

"What's on the menu Salem?" he smirked winningly as Harry walked to the refrigerator,

"I'm not sure if you were referencing a horrid event in your heritage's history towards my people _or_ if you were comparing me to a talking cat from a teenage witch's TV exploits, which aren't entirely false by the way."  
>Tony just laughed a warm and booming laugh, settling at the table, and Natasha smiled a little. Clint still looked a little unsure, but was starting to thaw as Steve smiled, not really catching the second reference. Natasha was more than welcoming of this intelligent, frail looking magic user.<br>No one had gotten Tony to laugh like that, out of the public eye, in a very long time, and she couldn't be happier.


	7. Chapter 7

Anthony Stark was almost positive that Harry had put magic directly into the ingredients of that carbonara. How else did is taste _so_ good? He groaned and backed out of his nearly empty second bowl. Natasha had stopped after one, Clint was working on his third, as was Bruce, and Steve was about to polish off his fourth. Super metabolism for a super boy, Stark thought with a snort.

"Well, it has been lovely entertaining all of you, but I really must get back to my hotel. I have quite a few valuable things that even my wards might not be able to protect."

Tony looked as if he wanted to protest but could not properly do such thing as the younger man stood, taking advantage of Tony's pasta stuffed mouth. Harry waved goodbye to the group, and all of them waved back as Tony sprung from his seat.

"Wetme waff yew ow," he said around a full mouth and though Harry made a face at him, his green eyes sparkled in amusement. He was very proud that the team liked his food so much. Even though they waited to dig in until Tony didn't collapse after his first bite.

He felt it was probably because, even though he loved preparing ingredients by hand, he used a bit of magic just to show off. He had long learned to keep his magical signature down to avoid wreaking havoc on technology, even though if he were exposed to technology long term, just the strength of his magical core alone would make the wires and circuits go wild. Normally when cooking, which was just as much of an art as potions making, he would take great care with preparing his vegetables and meats and doughs by hand; there was a definite difference between slicing and cutting and chopping. Today, however, he set the bacon and onions to chop themselves as he prepared the pasta water with a pinch of olive oil and salt. He turned around to see the two Bonds just watching with blank faces, hiding the shock that Harry could see in their eyes, while Tony and Steve looked openly awed. Bruce had walked into the kitchen hesitantly just as Harry was charming some lemons into sacrificing themselves into lemonade. Bruce looked very curious and stood at the end of the counter to watch Harry work.

The kitchen was a very open set-up, a type he was fond of. A lot of counter space, the appliances mostly confined to one corner near the large two-door fridge, the range and oven and microwave all in a stack. Harry had plated the pasta, breaking the egg over it while magically chopping some spinach and tomato. He then whisked some vinaigrette for the salad and pulled some feta from the fridge while the pasta settled and the lemonade glassed itself.

They had waited with bated breath for Tony's first bite. To be honest, Harry was probably more nervous than the solemn spies before Tony emitted a high pitched moan of pleasure that made Harry and Steve blush at the same time. The rest of the team had promptly caved in to their "breakfast" pasta with gusto, the boys making a face at the greens before begrudgingly eating the evil salad as well.

Harry had learned a bit in kitchens, both potions kitchens and cuisine kitchens, in his random European travels. He had gotten the chance to escape the British press at least once every summer for a vacation of about three months each. This lead to a grand total of 14 escapes that he had cherished every moment of. He had visited Italy thrice, splitting the country into three sections in order to get the best out of the experience, France twice, Russia twice, Germany, Spain, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Wales. Germany, Russia, Spain, Ireland, and Denmark had taught him some cooking skills and passed down recipes, but they were mostly used to hone some of his battle skills. He wasn't gearing up for another war, but he felt he had skipped so much in the process of training to be ready for the Dark Lord. He wanted to go back and fill those gaps. And he did so by training his body to a perfection: fight or flight responses and feline reflexes and exemplary weapons training and martial arts. And he did so by expanding his magical core and focusing his magic and becoming in tune with the earth and the magical fault lines that intersected her. And he did so with ancient studies on the cultures of the Norse people and the Russian wizards and runes and spell making and all of these intense and difficult subjects. He had been so thirsty for knowledge in a way he had never encountered before.

He gave all of the credit to Charlie really...

He had visited Romania for a bit, following the war, before heading to Russia for the first time. Charlie had come on to him, and come on to him quick. He hadn't really accepted his sexuality at that point, but Charlie had a way of opening his eyes, and his legs, that Harry was intoxicated by. He eventually realized that there was no way that him and Charlie could ever work out in the long run, however. He was dedicated to his potionry and his studies and his wanderlust and Charlie was firmly rooted where the dragons slept, more dedicated to his career than anyone or anything. But him and the elder Weasley were still...friends and had enjoyed some casual romps over the years.

Tony broke Harry from his lip biting, which was extremely attractive, and brooding with a clearing of his throat as the elevator was descending. They were almost halfway down to the ground floor now.

"So, you're staying in a hotel?" Harry nodded and made eye contact with the elder, shivering a bit at the intensity he found in them.

"Why don't you move in with me?" He blurted out, and then looked shocked. His eyes bulged and his fists clenched and Harry tried to keep a straight face and not laugh or look pissed.

"I mean..that is to say..I have plenty of floors available, I'm not asking you to move into my apartment or anything because we barely know each other and you seem like a very private man and even if you are filthy rich according to English tabloids you still shouldn't waste a month's worth of living expenses on a hotel and it could be very dangerous, like you said about your stuff and wards, but that's not me saying I think you're unable to defend yourself you seem very capable and oh boy I'm rambling..." Harry settled on laughter,

"I'll think about it Tony. I definitely need more time to think about it, and it is probably best that you let Thor settle his brother by name in before I come sniffing around. Two sorcerers settling in the same area at the same time would probably invoke a pissing contest none of you want to deal with," Harry said with some caution, glancing towards the elevator display to find them on the seventh floor.

"Well would you at least like to go to dinner with me tomorrow night? And maybe come spar with me tomorrow? And you should probably make me lunch again, you know BLT's are my favorite right?" Harry raised an eyebrow and grinned at how forlorn the man looked and sounded. He would agree to his terms, for Anthony wasn't to be completely trusted yet but he was definitely intriguing. Something about the man was just so significant to him, but that didn't mean he would let him in without a fight. A kicking and screaming and scratching and biting fight.

But he also didn't know that Anthony Edward Stark _always_ got what he wanted. But he also didn't know that his subconscious had already set him up to loose the fight, very very quickly.

* * *

><p>Harry was relieved that his cauldrons were still under stasis. He was also relieved that none of his belongings had been touched, the bed still unmade as he had requested no maid service enter his room. He was a grown man, who had the beginnings of a house elf, who could clean up his own damn messes.<p>

The replenishers to his stores, pepper-up, calming draught, modified dittany, headache potion, dreamless sleep, skele-grow, and veritaserum, were all the exact color and thickness they ought to be. He went ahead and waved his hand over the healing draughts to bottle them before they cooled completely. However, his dittany, dreamless sleep, and veritaserum required a bit more work. Dittany wasn't usually brewed, it was an essence, a perfume almost. However, he had made some alterations to the formula that worked harder than to just heal the skin or soft tissues, he had added some stabilizers and a pinch of very expensive powdered unicorn hair and a single drop of Phoenix tears. His potion could be dropped onto the skin, like normal dittany, or it could be swallowed, in the case of internal damage or large wounds. It healed faster, and healed larger wounds; it was invincibility in a bottle.  
>The veritaserum potion was complex in general and he wouldn't have started it if his bottle weren't close to being empty. He had used only a 3oz bottle of the stuff since he last brewed it during his internship, almost eleven years ago. Veritaserum could be brewed in large batches, however he never had room to store it being as how medical potions took importance. He made smaller batches, the ingredients scaled down, to avoid more than one full 3oz bottle.<br>He tended the potions as necessary, and put them under a "brewing stasis," which was a bit like an airplane's autopilot. It was never to be attempted on a potion that wasn't in perfect condition, or by a warlock who wasn't yet a potions master.

With this work done, he was left to strip for bed and think, which was always dangerous. He wasn't quite sure what he should make of Tony's offer. He would be silly to try to deny the chemistry that was between them; however, their relationship would likely be more impossible than his and Charlie's. If they were to work out, even minutely, it would be a romp, a one-time thing…Merlin knows Harry hasn't had a good tussle in the sheets in at least a year…But he liked Tony for more than just a one-night stand...  
>To distract himself from the images of how Stark's lips would feel pressed against his and what Tony might look like under his clothes, he picked up the weathered journal on his nightstand. He thumbed through Snape's journal for the thousandth time, sighing because he could still feel traces of the man's magic in the creases closer to the spine and binding of the book.<p>

He still kept Snape's dying memories in a bottle in one of his Gringotts vaults. He wished he could have known the man better. He wished he could have saved him or that the circumstances of Snape's role in the war wouldn't have dictated their enmity. He almost shed a tear on the page of how to correctly crush flowers, but tonight wasn't the night for tears. It was still quite a few weeks away from May first and he would save all of his mourning and tears for that day.  
>On that day he would not get out of bed until almost midnight, and at that time he would light a votive lantern for every friend and family member and stranger that he let die. On that day, he would lie in bed and wallow in sadness and cry and sob and scream until his throat bled, because that was the one day of the year when he allowed himself to feel guiltily. On that day he would drink himself into oblivion, if only to throw up everything and start the process all over again.<p>

This was his allotted time to be just another guilty person, wallowing in their self-pity.

* * *

><p>AN: Poor Harry…  
>But anyways it's been a while since I've thanked my reviewers!<br>I love the support and love ya'll give this fic ^_^ thank you all.  
>So to save some word count (since this isn't the longest chapter I've posted….But expect a LONG and ACTION filled next chapter) I'll thank those who reviewed for the sixth chapter!<p>

THANK YOU TO:  
>cjb1990: Well you are very very welcome and I shall try to give you MOAR<br>dogsby: I love how intimidating Harry can be when he wants to be ;)  
>RRW: Oh how right you are! There will be more delightful Harry-upstanding-Fury in the near future ;)<br>xDarklightx: I'm trying to keep you all on your toes…but shhhh it's a secret ;)  
>WereBunny87: Thank you my loyal darling! I always look forward to your reviews :)<br>violet-snowflake: glad to make you smile ;)  
>JasonDragon64: Thank you! I try to put a little of my personal attitude in there ;)<br>StValentineSt: Well I imagine Fury to be that type of man, but I hope you enjoyed the Avenger's reaction to his pasta ;) Fae0306: thank you! I try to keep the thermostat on low ;)  
>Silvermane1: thank you! I try to keep the best ideas in the freezer ;)<br>Mec15Potters: Gracias! Espero que usted no está literalmente muriendo aunque ... Espero que esto no es demasiado masacrado mi español es muy oxidada :)  
>cinnaatheart: thank you milady, and I hope you are not disappointed by my rendition of Loki! You are almost correct in a few aspects ;) I am going to try my hardest to make him live up to his reputation as Silver-tongue ;)<br>Pri-Chan 1410: Thank you! I hope you like him a little more after my story, or at least hate him a little less ;) I want to try to make him less of a twat but it might take a while ;D  
>ChibiAyane: Thank you very much my loyal doll! I'm glad to have sparked your imagination :) I am very pleased with your suggestions, I read this review right before I posted this chapter, and I am almost scared about how similar our brains are!<br>Ash-Bookwork113: thank you so so much! though groveling will not be necessary, I'm not entirely sure my feet smell the best ;D hahaha but anyways, I hope you continue to enjoy my little story here :)  
>Sliver of Melody: Thank you very much, I try to keep my stories a bit chilly, it's this winter weather I assure you ;)<br>Constance Truggle: I very much like what you did there, with your pen name! Very clever madame ;) but I'm glad you are enjoying thus far!  
>kingsholto: it is a TonyHarry pairing! They have SO much chemistry ;) if I were a kinkier girl it might occasionally be a Tony/Harry/Avenger/Avenger/possibly another Avenger story ;) but I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!

And THANK YOU to everyone else who has reviewed that I haven't responded to! I appreciate you all so very very much!


	8. Chapter 8

Tony eyed the wizard with distrust in his eyes. The man with black hair in a pony tail with a new piercing in his left ear, and two temporary "tattoos" on both wrists that shone through the thin fabric of his long sleeved shirt as he ate. Tony had asked Thor about them quietly, to which the man drew from his rarely used tact and whispered that they bound Loki's magic in certain ways.

The wizard certainly seemed to be enjoying the leftovers of the meal Harry cooked, magical hindrance included.

"This is delicious Stark, it has a tang of seiðr…..what is it you mortals call it, magic? From what eatery did you purchase this meal?" Loki finished his bowl with finesse and raised his eyebrow in a mocking manner. Certainly the man knew Tony did not cook, and definitely did not have magic.

"A friend of mine made it," he answered protectively, bristling at the thought of Loki meeting Harry.

"It was very good Starkson, please compliment the chef for me," Thor rumbled. Tony didn't even know _how_ Harry had known to make extra, or when he had slipped it into the fridge in the common room without anyone noticing. Perks of magic he guessed.

"Well, I've _trustingly _given Loki his own floor, above Thor's and below Black Widow's." Loki looked up and smirked. Tony wasn't a very trusting man, but he could see the subtle differences in the man. Whatever he had endured on Asgard for his punishment for invading "Midgard" had left him a bit shaken in his leather Asgardian boots. He was still sarcastic and snarky and held a slight air of arrogance; however, Tony could see beneath the veneer, since he donned one himself. He could see that Loki was a bit more fragile than he wanted anyone to know. He lashed out with anger and wit and sarcasm, but he was broken and needed help healing.

Even though Tony realized this, he would never break the news to anyone (that was Loki's place), and furthermore he was not a healer. He couldn't even help himself most days; he relied way too heavily on alcohol more than half the days of the year.

Loki stood and took his plate to the sink, filling it with warm soapy water to the shock of Thor and Stark. He was the only one left in the commons by the time Loki and Thor had arrived. He told himself that it was because he was worried about Thor, when in fact it was the anniversary of his parent's death and he was avoiding retiring to his chambers where their faces would stare at him from square frames placed all over his room.

Tony was surprised that Loki was able to do common household chores without griping about how far above such menial labor he was. Upon later interrogation of Thor, he realized that Loki was a man of menial labor, always wanting to make his own bows and cook his food to his likings and weaving spells and magic and making potions on his own. He had apparently scrutinized the man too hard for Loki's liking, the wizard could probably sense that Tony saw through his cracked mask, and decided to lash out for it.

"Why are you even still awake Stark? You frail humans need some form of rest in between sunrises. Surely you're not afraid of the dark, or is it that you are too unmanly to return to whatever woman is waiting in your bed, can't you satisfy a woman Stark?" Loki taunted him while Thor just avoided Tony's gaze, he had obviously been thinking the same thing, though probably not as harshly.

"Why does it matter to you Reindeer Games? My longest jaunt without sleep is currently recorded at 72 hours, 43 minutes, and 17 seconds." Tony said it as if he were proud of the fact, but he really was not. He was so afraid of closing his eyes and seeing his parents and seeing Obadiah die, seeing himself kill Obadiah, and seeing Yinsen perish and feeling the ghost pain of the arc reactor his subconscious created while he slept. He was so afraid of closing his eyes and being afraid of never waking up, similar to flying into the black hole in the sky Loki had created when the Chitauri descended upon his planet, his home. So he would stay awake and tinker with his inventions and research meaningless scientific leads and occasionally read and get completely shitface drunk.

Loki stared at him, a bit thrown off by the conflicting aggressions in Stark's face and demeanor, before letting it go, standing from the table, and sulking to the elevator.

"Try to get some sleep Man of Iron... Surely you are not trying to make that record longer than it needs to be..." Thor stood, clapping Tony on the shoulder before depositing his ale tankard in the sink and strolling from the room. Tony sighed and looked down. He would eventually, like everybody else, have to face his mourning. He would have to walk in his room and remove his ACDC t-shirt and stare at his mother's smile and his fathers hair and let tears fall from his eyes in a show of weakness and overflow of emotion. He would have to eventually, but now was not the time.

* * *

><p>"Harrison James Potter, I know you received my four emails, three muggle letters, and six owls before I sent you a house elf. I expected better from you, which is why you are listening to a very deceptively calm Howler. Please, return my attempts at contact before I really begin tracking you in earnest. Dearest Hermione is on my side Potter. We are...quite nervous for your whereabouts since you left England some five months ago, on guise of traveling to India. You have not left us with any word, as per usual, and I have received information that you are a temporary United States citizen. Please, contact us... You have less than 24 hours Potter."<p>

Harry watched as the Howler from Draco shredded itself into thin air. He heard the worry in his friends voice, but he had just needed some time. That's why he went to India before deciding to go to America. That's why he had poly-juiced himself while in London, getting his passport straight for extended travel.

He needed time away from his duties and old school friends and wizarding Britain. He wanted some time to be by himself or to be just Harry and to work on his research without the Ministry breathing down his neck.  
>They didn't understand. Well maybe Draco might. But Harry doubted it. He turned over in his bed again, Malfoy didn't seem to realize it was very early in the morning in America. Well… then again, he hadn't told Malfoy he was in America. Or Hermione. Or Ron. Or Fred. Or George. Or Molly. Or anyone. Except Kingsley Shacklebolt and the head of the foreign travel sector of the Ministry.<p>

He felt guilt pang at his stomach. There was too much guilt to be had here. He couldn't stomach lying in bed holding back hysterical sobs and trying to swallow his self-pity any longer. He doubted Anthony would still be awake, but he needed a kitchen. He needed to bake. But first, he needed to run.

That's what he would do. He would run, come back and finish his potions, pack, run again, find a market, and run to Stark Tower.

Well...that might be taking Tony up on his offer a little too soon... But baking muffins of all varieties and cooking breakfast and making bread sounded delightful. Harry could only imagine what Tony's personal kitchens looked like. He was almost salivating at the thought as he changed into dri-fit shorts and a wife beater, careful to put glamors over his scars and wand, before strolling out the door.

He had heard that New York was not a place for one person to roam past nighttime, but he was actually hoping that some soul would be _lucky_ enough to cross his path.

* * *

><p>He was angry at his magical core. He was angry at it for growing and he was angry at having to make adjustment potions for it: to soothe the frayed ends of the magic that slipped, unbidden, from his body. He hadn't noticed it until he went to closely examine oranges, the last items on his grocery list. He had touched one of them them and suddenly all of the oranges started vibrating and dancing with energy, come to life by a swath of his magic.<p>

He needed to master a new form of magic.

He had wandless down, even if using a wand was easier, and he had experimented with raw magic use before. He believed that his experimentation with runes and spell weaving was what kick started his magic growth in the first place. He needed to find a tutor, and he needed to find one quick.

* * *

><p>"Sir. Sir you really must wake up."<p>

"What Jarvis?" Tony moaned groggily and planted his face more firmly onto the side of his pillow. He didn't know how he had gotten there after a large bottle of Evan Williams. He supposed Jarvis had a hand in it. He could feel his head pounding from a hangover, and wanted to tell Jarvis where to shove his CPU.

"Mister Potter is waiting outside of your private elevator, waiting entrance."

Tony had never woken up so quickly in his life. He almost jumped out of bed and made sure to pull on a pair of shorts before quickly walking, not running mind you, to his elevator to press the approval button. He heard the gears turning and could do no more than stare at the closed steel doors in anticipation.

The doors slid open and there stood a sweating Harry, clad in only running shorts, shoes, a wife beater and his own sweat. Tony was so busy in devouring the other male's appearance he didn't notice what the man was holding. Harry was smirking at him in amusement, before noticing what the man himself was wearing. It was around 8am so it was only to be assumed that Tony was still in bed, he felt bad for waking him up, but he certainly did not feel bad for getting to see the man shirtless with bed hair. His well-defined chest muscles were tensing with every inhale and exhale and Harry couldn't even find it in him to blush about the silence they were spending just staring at one another.

"Good morning Anthony," Harry finally broke the impasse by speaking, and moving around Tony to examine the man's quarters.

"Why did you go grocery shopping?"

"Well, see, I couldn't sleep so I went for a run and packed my things and checked out of my hotel and went grocery shopping because I want to bake, and I'm very sorry for waking you up but can I repay you with breakfast?" Harry rambled and Tony was just so awe-struck with how breathtaking he was, just slightly out of breath and sweaty and his hair was ruffled. Tony stared for a second, in silence, after Harry finished his rambling. Harry shifted slightly and looked down, before Tony answered breathlessly,

"Yes, of course. I'm going to get a shower and put on some clothes."

"That sounds really nice actually. Do you mind if I do that? But not while you are showering, I don't think we need to shower together, but it's not that you aren't attractive it's just...I...um…. all of that came out wrong" Tony stared at Harry predatorily before releasing a loud and booming laugh.

"I have a spare bathroom, let's drop those bags off in the kitchen and then I'll give you a tour." Harry smiled, reassured, and nodded.

* * *

><p>By the time Harry was led to the guest bathroom, in the guest room, he was in awe. The man's quarters were brilliant, and he had been promised a full tour of the Mark Room and Tony's workshop after breakfast. Harry was very worried about actually touching any equipment, being as how his magic was a bit more unruly today than it normally was. He had only taken one of two doses of the potion remedy. He still had to take the core-expanding one being as how he had taken the one to soothe the ends of his pathways, but still needed to make more room in his core for the new magic that was growing.<p>

He stripped before stepping into a spaceship-esque shower, that rained perfectly hot water down upon his tanned shoulders. For a man who hotel hopped for the best showers and tubs, this had to be one of the best showers he had ever used. He guessed money could buy you those sorts of things.

After dressing he headed back to the kitchen to find Tony pouring two cups of coffee,

"I hope you don't mind that I made coffee, but that's one of the only things I can prepare without burning it" Harry just smiled and took his coffee cup from Tony. It was strange, to see that their coffee cups didn't match. Most of the things in Anthony's apartment were brand new, and bought for a lavish living space. However, the dishes and pots and pans were used looking, and a bit hodgepodge.

"They were my mother's... I... since we moved here, the team, I haven't spent much time in Malibu, so I sent for most of my personal things to be in this apartment." Harry nodded, without pushing it, and got started on breakfast.

Anthony loved to watch him cook. It was like watching a musician play. He did so many things so gingerly, but swiftly, and Tony was watching a tapestry being weaved from spinach and eggs and tomatoes and oranges and sugar and salt and pepper. It was magic; even when his mother had cooked as a kid it hadn't looked, or felt, like this.

Don't misunderstand him, it wasn't the magic that Harry used, for he didn't use any in this particular meal, it was the magic that Harry radiated. He was charismatic and charming and handsome and he didn't even know it. He moved with grace and fluidity and it was beautiful, he danced everywhere and Tony told every corny joke in his book to get that half-amused smirk or exasperated smile and gentle laugh from the man.

Harry began placing dish after dish on the bar: omelets, blueberry pancakes, fresh-fruit topped with créme frâiche, orange-cranberry muffins, bacon, buttermilk biscuits, sausage links, toasted English muffins, croissants, double chocolate chip muffins, and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Tony had never smelled anything quite like it in his life. As Harry poured a finger of vodka into his orange juice, even though Tony grabbed his wrist and tipped quite a bit more than a finger at Harry's disapproving glance, Tony had never been completely sure of anything in his entire life.

He was going to make Harry his.

He wasn't completely sure if he was okay with being attracted to a male and what that entailed, after years of fucking big-titted blondes. He wasn't completely sure if Harry would even be attracted to him, enough to stay with him for a lifetime. He wasn't completely sure he could stop drinking if Harry asked him to.

But he was completely sure that this man had some insight to his life, some insight into his soul, some connection with his nature that he had never known with another human being.

Tony was completely sure that his couldn't help his overly giddy smile as he dug into his food, and watched Harry smile at his enjoyment and relax into the chair next to him.


	9. Chapter 9

Tony grunted as he hit the floor again.

He wasn't much for one-on-one, hand-to-hand combat, but he had his fair share of training in the art. Even so, Harry was kicking his ass up and down _his_ gym, and _laughing_ at him while doing it.

It might have been that he kept getting distracted by the attractive, slighter male, but it was probably that he was still in a food coma and the small wizard was very swift and adept at what he was doing. Tony just laid on the floor this time, listening as Harry laughed and sat down next to him,

"Did I break you Anthony?" Tony just hid his smile in the floor and grunted loudly in a grumpy manner. Oh he wished Harry could break him, in the naughtiest way possible. Harry laughed again at Tony's grunt as the door to the room opened, and he felt Harry move next to him without looking up.

"Steve, nice to see you again." He could almost hear Harry blushing as Tony quickly rose off the floor and brushed the invisible dirt off of his shirt.

"Are you two sparring?" Steve asked interestedly, before dropping his gym bag by the door.

"Yes we are, would you like to join us?" Harry asked, re-wrapping tape over his knuckles, while Tony frowned a little. However, he didn't want to act like a brat in front of Harry by protesting. Capsicle looked to Tony in a bit of surprise, he figured the man would uproar at his "friend" showing Steve any bit of attention. Not that Steve didn't understand, Harry was adorable and his food was more than enough to make any man fall head over heels in love with him.

"Maybe yes, are you good at sparring?"

"Is he good? Hell Cap, I would wager on him being better than the murderous spider herself," Steve nodded, a bit awed once more at how quickly Tony complimented this man. Tony was self-centered and narcissistic and he rarely complimented anyone other than himself.

"Well I'd like to take you on, little wizard" Steve said kindly, Tony bristled once more, but didn't say anything as the two men began fighting. They traded blows and punches and Tony wasn't very protective until the fighting began in earnest. He was very tempted to tell the Capsicle to watch his super strength. Harry, even though less breakable than he, was a whole _lot_ more breakable than Cap. The fight seemed to go on endlessly, both men dancing around each other, though Tony could tell that Harry was still holding back where Steven wasn't…Finally, tired of dancing, Harry ended it by using a solar-plexus kick on Steve, coupled with a swipe of his leg behind Steve's knees, trapping him on the floor and straddling him in a caging manner.

Tony started clapping and Harry jumped up, sending him a large smile before offering Steve a hand up. Steve smiled and took his hand, their hands lingering together longer than Tony thought necessary.

"Nice job Harry, best fight I've had in ages," Steve smiled kindly, still holding Harry's hand,

"Grandpa means it quite literally, don't you Capsicle?" Steve frowned, but Harry giggled and pushed Anthony on the shoulder,

"Be nice to your elders, junior" Harry admonished in a teasing manner. Anthony wanted to be annoyed, but somehow, he could not even muster the littlest bit of indignation.

* * *

><p>Loki was picking up on the most exquisite tingle of magic. It resembled the Seiðr that had added body and spice to his pasta dish the night before. It was a very faint trail, and he would not have picked up on it if had he not have stepped into the elevator. He wanted desperately to follow the trail, but was sadly restricted to only his floor, the other Avenger's floors (minus Stark's), the gym or the creative floors, and the common floor. Everywhere else was strictly off limits, unless he had been given express permission. If he even attempted otherwise, Jarvis would shut down the elevator or use brute force to contain him, and with most of his more defensive magic restrained, he was not able to properly defend against such an attack.<p>

However, when he stepped off at the gym floor, the magic got stronger and he was drawn to it as a "moth to a flame," as these silly humans might say. He had caught up on quite a bit of mortal slang and mortal living standards as he had thrived among them for so long. He had put his cooking skills to use in a bakery, became more personable and respecting of the people he walked amongst, and learned all of that "character" and "conscience" dribble that Fury droned. It was almost touching how he had come to resent the humans a little less, while respecting them a little more. However, unlike Thor, he still knew his place as their superior.

He still had some baser magical skills, and used them to cloak himself with shadows as he drew nearer to the source of the magic. He saw the blonde, hulking red, white, and blue man passionately battling with a small, pale, man with a…mop of black hair.

Surely if this man had such magical strength, he could use it to look halfway presentable. At this thought, Loki snorted.

He started observing more closely, picking up little hints and nuances of the scene. There seemed to be some sort of tension between the smaller man and the large blonde brute he was fighting, but not the negative kind of tension. It was most definitely sensual, if very hidden behind the sparring aggression.

Loki then scanned the room once more, to see Stark looking on with a mix of anger, worry, and a tinge of lust written all over his stony face. For which man was the "ladies man" lusting over?  
>Loki gave a wolfish grin. This situation most certainly had just gotten a lot more interesting than what he bargained for when agreeing to stay in this tower with his insufferable brother and his "superhero" friends.<p>

Suddenly, the fight came to a stop as the pale little thing unleashed his strength, through with holding back, and ended the fight by putting the brute in his place on the floor. Loki smirked and was tempted to clap, whenever he finally got a good look at the wizard. If he had not looked closer, and had tasted this man's Seiðr to pick up on basic clues, he would have mistaken him for a woman. He certainly was delicate and feminine, yet upon a closer inspection he was definitely male. He gave off a rough and tumble vibe, some sort of dangerously alluring pull, and it was simply delicious. Loki licked his lips as he continued to study the men in the room, their puzzling interactions with one another. Was this some sort of love triangle? This small, porcelain man was beautiful, and somehow, Loki was now less disgusted with the man's inability to straighten his hair. It fit perfect with his wide, emerald eyes.

He watched as the male blushed while engaged in a prolonged handshake with the leader of the group, and suddenly Stark butted in with some outrageous comment making the ravenite laugh. His laugh was tinkling and addictive, and suddenly Loki realized where he recognized this familiar little creature from.

This man was his opponent, the entire reason he was even in Stark Towers at the present day.

Well, this is just getting curiouser and curiouser, Loki thought with a shark-like grin, before snapping his fingers and disappearing to his chambers.

* * *

><p>Harry heard the nearly inaudible pop, and cursed himself for not being better on his guard. He tested the air to find traces of magic, and the magical signature that came back was unfamiliar. He would have to be more careful, as he realized now that Malfoy was out to find him. Him and Malfoy had developed a nice camaraderie after the great war, and when the blonde wanted something to happen, he would always get his way. Harry wouldn't have normally been so concerned, if not for the fact that his friends would be put in more danger if they stumbled across his new locale. Plus, he was being very selfish in the want to have a few secrets, a new life away from his previous hardships.<p>

Harry was almost frightened, almost paranoid, as he glanced around the room, not catching the Captain or Tony's look of concern.

"Harry are you okay?" Tony asked touching his arm gently, the change in the slighter male had been very sudden, as if he was attuned to something they were not aware of.

"Yeah just thought I felt something," he offered a fake assuring smile and a supporting comment,

"It's a magical thing," Tony nodded and took Harry's arm, saying farewell to the Captain and steering Harry towards the elevator.

"Out of curiosity Anthony, is Loki already here?" Harry questioned quietly, looking down at his hands as the elevator ascended to Tony's apartments. Tony cursed in his head, he should have thought to inform the younger male, as he would probably be sensitive to the motions of the other illusionist in the area.

"Yes actually, he got here last night…I know you didn't want to initiate a pissing contest but I didn't think you would show up at my door this morning," Tony answered in a hesitant manner, and Harry simply bit his lip and nodded in thought.

"Remind me to check my potions that are still under stasis after we take tea" Tony just looked, in awe, at the younger male staring in this manner until he noticed,

"Was it something I said?" The male said awkwardly under Tony's scrutiny,

"You have potions with you?"  
>"Yes, I probably didn't have to tell you this, since you did extensive research, but I am a potions master. I came to America to gather ingredients and research" Harry said amusedly,<p>

"You have to let me see! Can I have samples? Jarvis will keep them super secretly hidden while he runs tests, I promise!" The male was almost bouncing with excitement as Harry smiled indulgently and adjusted his t-shirt to get rid of the sweat that had gathered on his chest.

"Yes, of course I-"

"Sir we have a bit of an issue" Interrupted Jarvis, they were almost to Tony's main living floor as the AI chimed in,

"What is it Jarvis?"

"I didn't think it fit to notify the entire building, as I believe the man is friendly, but you have an intruder in your apartments," Tony stood, gape mouthed, as the elevator slid into place on his floor,

Harry half-pushed Tony behind him, reaching for his concealed wand and drawing it into fighting position.

The doors slid open and the pair trekked quietly to the living area, where Harry stopped dead in his tracks upon examining the room.

On the couch, was relaxing a roguish red-head, dressed in tight leather pants, a loose pirate-esque shirt with a leather vest, and a claw earring resting against his attractively braided and tangled fiery hair..

"Miss me Squirt?" the man rumbled in a deep, sensual voice, as Harry gulped and dropped his wand out of shock.


	10. Chapter 10

His wand rolled loudly across the floor, right into Charlie Weasley's dragon-hide boot. Harry just blushed, a full body blush that spread from his ears right down to his toes as he looked at the red-headed male. He wasn't much taller than Harry, but he was muscular and barrel chested with wonderfully wide shoulders. While the eldest Weasley got all of the credit for being the bad ass adventuring curse breaker, Harry preferred the second eldest Weasley. Charlie was a rogue man, and Harry was blushing at the memories evoked by simply seeing him. Memories of how they melded together, memories of how Charlie's rough hands felt all over his body, memories of their slick skin slapping against each other, memories of how those large hands felt on his hips...

"Ch-charlie." Harry almost squeaked, Tony was getting more and more tense and defensive by the second.

"Did you miss me?" the male growled predatorily, completely ignoring Tony's presence.

"I did but why, I mean who, I mean why are you here?" Harry stuttered.

"Yes, I would very much like to know who you are exactly, and how you came to be in my living room," Tony bit out in a frosty tone. Charlie's attention very suddenly turned onto Stark, his eyes taking on a lustful glint as they roamed Tony's figure,

"My apologies Mr. Stark, I am Charles Weasley," the man stated in a gravelly booming voice. He then bowed slightly, displaying his manners while still exuding his Alpha male aura, and extended his hand for shaking. Tony grasped his hand, intent on doing the proper, manly thing and grasping it harder than necessary. He had shaken hands with Thor before, in which it was very difficult to keep pain away from his facial expression, but this Weasley's grip was much tighter. Tony grimaced a bit and broke the shake after the acceptable time limit, to which Charlie smirked.

"I'm here because Draco sent me to find you, jumped the gun a bit in my opinion… but his house elf gave me pretty decent coordinates and I tracked you from halfway across Manhattan to here," Charlie said with an amused smile at Harry's metamorphosis of expressions. First came shock, then anger, then guilt, then more anger, settling on amusement before hopping right back to anger.

"I wanted time alone. You should understand that better than anyone," Harry finally bit out in a guilt-riddled, angry tone.

"But the key is hatchling, to let someone know where you are going or if you're okay... Just because we aren't very...traditional, and we didn't part on the best of terms, doesn't mean you can't trust me..." Charlie said, his eyes and posture softening; Tony rose an eyebrow at the man's choice of endearment.

"I didn't want anyone coming after me, I wanted to be anonymous. I needed to get away, I needed out of England and away from the Ministry's responsibilities for me. I don't want to be in the middle of another civil war. I just want to be alone with my work. Draco, or you, or Mione have no bloody right." Harry's voice was steadily rising while crackles from his hands, glowing gold and silver and green, bristled into the air. Tony acted at the situation before Charlie could, moving to grasp one of Harry's sparking hands. He adjusted his heart rate and prepared his arc reactor internally to deal with the influx of power. Harry almost wrenched his hand from Tony's grip, worried he would hurt him, but instead Tony gripped it harder. He expected Harry's magic to hurt him, instead, it was like taking a jolt of caffeine straight to his reactor. His pupils dilated and his breathing quickened as he forced his body to adjust.

"Wow" he breathed, Harry looked at him in concerned,

"I could have killed you!" he said fiercely, trying to pry his hand from Tony's grasp. Charlie look at the scene in shock, first in empathy and then in jealousy, he had never been able to calm the man so quickly. Especially since his magic started growing way out of control, he had never been able to soothe Harry's magic like that.

"But you didn't," Tony said cheekily, smirking at the smaller man. His veins were thrumming in his arms, his heart was jumping in his chest, he felt little jolts of adrenaline and pleasure tingling down his spine. He came up with a conversation topic to take the attention away from his appearance,

"Back to the subject Harry, who exactly is this man and who is this Draco looking for you? Are you in danger?" Tony pressed, still grasping Harry's hand. Suddenly Harry began to laugh, this half angry giggle that scared the ever loving hell out of Tony.

"Oh no, Draco may be an annoying spoiled prat but he certainly doesn't mean me any harm. He just wants to butt his big arse aristocratic nose into my bloody business." Tony was a little bit awed at this answer, it seemed the man's inner Brit came out to play when he was angry.

"Oh, and as for proper introductions, Charlie Weasley is one of my good..friends-"

"Past lover" Charlie interrupted with a lascivious grin, to which Tony bristled and Charlie shot him a competitive smirk,

"Shut your mouth wanker, oh and he's a dragon tamer, and a wizard like me," Tony just wanted to melt into the floor, but at least the hatchling comment made sense now. It was bad enough that he had to meet the ex before even officially going on a date with Harry, plus this guy was huge and muscular and a total bad ass, if a jerk. But then again, he was a billionaire, a philanthropist, occasionally a playboy, a genius with a doctorate in business, engineering, and physics. Plus, he was the Iron Man. That was just the icing on the cake.

"Well allow me to further introduce myself Mr. Weasley, I am _the_ Tony Stark. Currently one of the most wealthy men in the world, C.E.O and owner of Stark Enterprises, donator and founder of at least 30 different charities, holder of several PhD's, and I'm Iron Man," Tony shot the man a winning smile, but Charlie didn't seem to be backing down; in fact his smile got only more competitive.

"Oh, and Harry's future lover," Stark said while turning the charm to 110%, to which Harry choked on his breath and struggled to release his hand from the taller man's hand, and Charlie scowled.

"Don't bank on it rich boy, Harry is a very good judge of character and he isn't one for the media hogging spoiled brats like you," Charlie sneered,

"Oh well I didn't think he'd be into a hulking brute like you, stomping around the woods of God knows where whipping dragons and dragging your knuckles while throwing insults towards him, because no offense, but you're kind of an ass"

"Oh you bet he _LOVES_ hulking brutes that's-"

"ENOUGH!" Harry shouted, "We are not going to argue over me like I'm a damn piece of meat. I am a walking talking human being and while both of you have very valid points to your arguments, I don't like children! And that is what both of you are acting like!" Harry screamed before moving away from them and heading to the staircase that would lead him to the guest bedroom. Tony rubbed the back of his neck and looked down.

"Whenever he calms down give him this, it would probably be best if I leave now," Charlie said in a more subdued manner, embarrassed at his behavior, handing Tony an antique looking letter. He had a bit of pain showing on his face, a subtle sadness Tony would have missed if he weren't familiar with that guilty feeling. That feeling of pushing people away on accident.

"Hey, he'll come around," Tony said as comfortingly as he could to a man he just fought with,

"Well, its my fault for starting a pissing contest, I know how he feels about me being overprotective." Charlie said, raising his own wand and popping into nothingness without warning.

Tony just stared for a moment before bending over to pick up Harry's wand from the floor and head up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Harry bent over his cauldron, the last potion yet to finish was his veritaserum. He had taken the second half of his potion along with a calming draught. He was upset that the two men had acted that way, and while he knew that Tony had the propensity to be sweet, he now knew could act like a territorial child. He was very shocked by the man's revelation, for he knew that there was some form of chemistry between them, but he wasn't sure if Anthony was being serious or making some comment to set Charlie off balance.<p>

Harry didn't know which option unsettled him more.

The comment being true, or false bravado.

If it were true...

But then, if he were just saying that to get a one up on a man in a pissing contest…

Harry sighed and rubbed circles on his temples before reaching for Snape's beloved journal. He was halfway down a page he had read at least twenty times before, not comprehending a bit of it, when there was a knock on the guest room door.

"Yes?"

"Can I come in Harry?"

"I don't know, can you?" Harry said almost petulantly,

"Ha ha, teacher jokes, may I come in Harry?" Harry smirked before answering,

"Is Charlie gone?"

"Yes?"

"Then yes," the door cracked open and Harry looked to where Tony stood, still in his workout gear.

"Hi" Tony said sheepishly, coming through the doorway to stand awkwardly in the room,

"Hello" Harry raised an eyebrow at the man.

"You're very impressive when you're angry," Tony said, shifting awkwardly. Harry almost laughed, he could tell that the man was embarrassed for his earlier behavior.

"Well thank you, future lover," Harry said teasingly, Tony looked up, a perfect image of a deer caught in headlights.

"I was just..I didn't mean it, but I did mean it, I just wasn't trying to force you into anything…but that doesn't mean I'm not attracted to you, because I find you very attractive, like in general but I'm sorry I just-"

"Anthony, it's okay" Harry smiled at him encouragingly to stop the man's rambling, "I'm not the kind of person you're used to, I don't jump in and out of people's lives and beds. That's not me."

"I'm aware of that, I wasn't insinuating that we would just get straight to having sex or anything I just-"

"Tony I was just laying ground rules. I do feel this connection, this attraction, but we need to be friends first. We're off to a smashing start in my opinion, but I want to take this slow. I need to take this slow. I can understand if you're not that type of man, but that's what I need right now." Harry finished, sighed and looked to the ground, moving to close Snape's journal lying open on the desk.

"I'm okay with that Mr. Potter, in fact I will be a complete gentleman, I'll even take tips from Cap on manners" Tony said jokingly and Harry laughed a little.

"Want to go tour my Iron Man cave?" Tony asked warmly,

"I'd love to, but you should shower and change first," Harry laughed and Tony frowned and sulked out of the room.

Maybe this wouldn't be too hard. Maybe he could trust Anthony more than he'd trusted anyone ever before. Maybe he could form a new relationship, one who didn't have business affairs and a string of drag queens like Draco did. One who didn't have to worry about children and ministry jobs, like Hermione and Ron did. One who wasn't so attached to his job, that Harry came second behind a career, like Charlie was. One that actually would care about him and listen to him and try to understand him.

Maybe this would work out for him, for once in his life.

* * *

><p>Loki was meditating, drawing in this interesting magic to grow his limited magic further. It was light and sweet, yet strong and powerful, it was buoyant and commanding while being hard and sharp. Loki wondered how long it would be before he got to meet his "opponent" of sorts. While wondering this, he decided to leave a gift of goodwill in the common room. He stood slowly and approached the potted orchid that was resting on an end table, waving his hands over it lovingly in twisted patterns. The orchid suddenly changed color and sprouted a few more flowers that intertwined with each other, all different variations of purples and pinks and white. They danced with each other gracefully, twisting and untwisting, and then the colors changed once more, shifting to shades of gold and silver and black. Loki smiled and waved his hand over them once more, allowing them to shift into a sparkling surface, it seemed as if they were a glinting form of airy glass.<p>

Loki smiled happily as the colors changed to reds and golds with threads of silver and green. The orchids glinted happily and shifted positions once more, dancing to an unheard melody. He then held his hand palm up and a ball of magic formed itself like a ball of yarn,

"Visit our wizard, give him a trail to follow" The ball of magic unraveled and bounced, a golden thread falling to the floor and shattering into a thin line, sinking into the tiles below his feet and leaving an invisible magical trail to his orchids. It was only a matter of time before the man came to investigate.

He could only hope the little magician would be as good at fighting with his magic as he was fighting with his hands. Loki smirked, and resumed his meditation position on his tatami mats, looking out the wall-length windows in the living area of the common room.


	11. Chapter 11

Thor was puzzled. He had never seen his brother seem so...childish and buoyant. True, he had changed since his time in the Virginia, but this was different even from that change. But Loki was excited, he was ready to meet Tony's little wizard friend, whom Thor had only seen in passing. Loki occasionally talked about fighting the man, but without all the usual venom he showed when talking about war. Loki actually talked to him now, communicated with him, and Thor couldn't show his appreciation enough. Loki, while the same Loki, had somehow developed into a man that was more open to change and affection. Thor was amazed and passed on stories to mother and the All-Father when he could, just to see the joy on their faces. Loki practiced his magic for innocent and sweet purposes, he even transfigured Thor an Asgardian kitten when he said he missed home.

Thor could only hope that his brother did not get in too far with his...infatuation with this little magician.

* * *

><p>Of course Black Widow was wrong for thinking of the little wizard as, well, little. He was a full grown man, but he seemed to be shrunken in height in comparison to even her and Hawkeye, especially so with Steve and Thor. He was tiny, but wiry and muscular. He seemed much younger than his years, even though he was older than her. She watched him and Tony as they baked some sort of cupcake, though Natasha had never seen Tony so much as lift a finger at cooking before. The said man had flour all down the front of his apron, and even some in his hair, while the green eyed wizard had flour only on his hands, where it should be. Natasha hid a secretive smile, while glancing over to see Hawkeye do the same. She never would have dreamed of Tony Stark doing something so domestic with anyone. Much less a 5'4" British wizard that had waltzed into their life only three weeks prior.<p>

* * *

><p>Captain America was in a hard place indeed. See, Steve was beginning to really like Harry, but Harry was very obviously Tony's territory. Steve wouldn't dare to go against Tony, especially in a matter of this importance. It would split the entire team into pieces. So Steve would just sit, and wait, and not go against his manners, and hope that maybe the person who was meant to be in his life would somehow waltz into it. Just like magic.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Dear Harry,<em>

_I've missed you. You're not around for brunch dates to talk about my latest escapades. You're not around for dinner and wine to talk about our work. You're not around for the various blind-dates I arrange. I understand your need for alone time, but I would really like to see you. I'm sorry, for sending Charlie. I know, I know, the great Draco Malfoy **can** apologize for something. I knew how his presence would set you off, because of how you two parted ways last spring._

_But I figured, if that wouldn't get your attention, that nothing would. See, things have fallen apart. Turns out, Ronald has been cheating on Hermione with a younger woman, specifically Romilda Vane, she was playing with Ginny in the Holyhead Harpies. They met at Hugo's birthday party when Ginny brought her as a friend... So, things are definitely falling apart. Hermione kicked him out of the house, and she needs you...I need you... May we find you Harry? Can we take a vacation and come see you? We know you are across the pond, in the New York City, and we need you Harry...we really do..._

_With love,_

_Draco_

Harry sighed and set down the letter. He had missed too much. How had this happened in a matter of 4 months? Tony was pretending to read a book, waiting for Harry to raise his issue. He would have to ask Tony for a place for them to stay. He would have to tell Tony what they meant to him. He couldn't keep running from people who cared about him.

* * *

><p>Draco paced around the room waiting for a reply. Hermione sighed and continued to pet Rose's hair. She was 6, and her older brother was 8, and they were a handful. The house elves at Malfoy manor helped a lot, offering tips and a few more playmates, but Hermione was run ragged. The divorce was hard on her, and even though Ron was an ass, he was a good father. But she couldn't help but wonder, how often had Romilda Vane taken care of her children?<p>

Probably never actually. Rose was a very solemn girl for her age, much like Hermione herself, and she would have told her mommy about her daddy's special friend.

Charlie suddenly popped into the room,

"I delivered your letter, and he reacted as well as we thought he would...Let's hope the hatchling knows what's best for him..." Hermione shot him a glare, because she most certainly knew that he was not what was best for Harry. He may care about their friend, and he may have the best intentions in mind, but Harry, for all of his fronts and pretending, needed someone like him. He needed someone used to loss and sacrifice, someone who knew what war was like, someone who would drop anything and everything to take care of him. What Charlie didn't say, or do, for Harry hurt him more than anything Charlie could have ever said or done.

She just hoped that he would eventually respond to Draco's letter. Draco had dropped into something of a zombie-state lately. He didn't sleep enough or eat enough, he drank too much and worked too much. He was through with his string of affairs, jaded with men and women alike, and he needed someone to lean on. Unfortunately, with how damaged both Hermione and Draco were, most of their "comfort sessions" lead to heavy drinking and waking up shameful the next morning. She couldn't afford to keep doing this. Her job was suffering, and what was left of her family was suffering. Her children missed their daddy, but their daddy refused their attentions unless Hermione came back into the picture. She knew Ronald probably wanted her back, but he honestly should have thought of that before hopping into bed with another woman. He didn't even have any reason. They had sex at least twice a week, they took turns watching the children and working, they were well off financially...She didn't understand it.

She sighed and turned back to the conversation that Draco and Charlie were having,

"What do you mean he was living with some rich famous guy? How did that happen?" Draco asked calmly, too calmly, a lot more calmly than the dramatic man would have in the past.

"I have no clue but I followed his trail from the hotel to which you sent the howler to this...Tower…..Me and the man kind of got in a fight..."

"Let me guess? Because you got territorial and tried to start a pissing contest," Hermione said in a sharp tone, staring him down,

"Hey, the Weasley you have a quarrel with isn't me Herms," Charlie said in a joking way, Hermione just took it as bait.

"Well you know what? Maybe I should have a quarrel for you too. We didn't ask you to find him because of your history. We asked you to find him because you're a good tracker and we thought that you would be better to confront him. But if he was happy and you confronted him in that manner, he will probably just ignore us. He will probably just turn us away, because he doesn't want us nosing around in his business, and if he's happy with the way things are who would blame him?" Hermione shouted while covering Rose's ears tightly. Hugo came into the room to see what was the matter, and hugged his uncle Charlie excitedly. Charlie didn't say one word in return, seemingly embarrassed, and simply took his leave after a few minutes longer. Draco and Hermione sighed as Draco drug down a bottle of Ogden's Finest firewhisky.

* * *

><p>The letter arrived a week, if not more, after Charlie had been in New York. It was short and simple, which showed Harry's emotions more than anything: shame, guilt, anger, anxiety, sorrow.<p>

_Dear Draco,_

_I'm sorry to hear all of these tragic things. I'm sorry I ran away to "work" and didn't let any of you know. There are some things I would need to arrange here, and it would take a bit of time until all of you could come. Maybe the first week of May? I know we'll both need someone that week anyways…  
>Shall I arrange for the two children as well?<br>__Until then, w__ith love,_

_Harry_

Draco sighed with relief. May was only weeks away.

* * *

><p>Tony sat and listened as Harry poured out his past, every last nitty gritty detail. Harry told him about his childhood, his self-esteem, the war, the loss, the travel, his job, his affair with Charlie and the heartbreak spawned from that. Tony held him as he cried, and let him punch his chest in anger, and didn't let him blame himself. Tony just held him and wiped his tears. Harry thought, that this was truly when he began to feel something for the man. This was truly when he began to think that maybe they could work out as more than friends, in the long run.<p>

Harry then sat and listened as Tony told him things that Tony had never told another human being, outside of hints and nuggets dropped to Pepper. Harry made neat whiskies when necessary, sat in Tony's lap and caught his tears on his fingertips, and suggested ice cream and diner food at three in the morning when both men couldn't cry or feel guilty anymore.

As they sat in the diner booth, with eggs and waffles and ice cream and pie and both half drunk, Harry got whipped cream on his nose, and Tony went to wipe it off. Their lips met in a short kiss, the spark between them growing and burning. Suddenly, as their lips separated both men laughed. They laughed until tears they thought they exhausted ran from the corners of their eyes. They laughed in deep, content laughter until Harry got hiccups and snorted constantly. Then Tony laughed some more at the smaller male.

Both men laughed and ate shitty apple pie in the diner until sunrise shone through the slightly grimy windows, something neither man had done before.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I had some very constructive reviews this past chapter and I took the time to make a lot of things more clear; I'm not going to spill it all out in this author's note, buuuuuut I've updated all of the chapters with small differences that will help clarify some things a little better. I've also lessened Hermione's involvement (since a TON of you didn't like that) and I must apologize for how needy Draco and Hermione are, however I wasn't very clear with my timeline, in the fact that Harry kind of left them high and dry about five months ago without giving them any word.

Oh and Ch11 was meant to be a loose chapter, I was specifically not very clear with the timing, so it was a bit of a time drift. I have seen several reviews lately that complain on my interpretation of the characters and for that I'm very sorry.

So with that out of the way,

Cheers!

* * *

><p>Harry caught the scent at once and wondered how he had not noticed it before. Why today out of so many days had it laid in waiting? It was spring and cut grass and melted caramel and sunlight. He followed it slowly into the elevator, taking in every breath.<p>

He was terribly bored when Tony actually had to work. Sure there were the other Avengers, but they had jobs too. Natasha and Clint were almost always gone, working for SHIELD. Bruce Banner worked for many different universities, even though Harry would have preferred for Tony to hire him full time, he knew the man would refuse. Steve was either always there, or always at SHIELD but it seemed that lately he was spending more time in Washington D.C. at the SHIELD headquarters, most likely working on the latest SHIELD breech. Loki was invisible, unseen everywhere, and Thor just kind of flitted back and forth from the Tower to Asgard to wherever Jane Foster was at the current time. Ever since that night in the diner that marked his two week anniversary here, Tony had made a point of discussing some little thing in their past in more detail every day; it filled the gaps left by their large sobbing summaries over alcohol. He had never really felt he could share these sorts of things with very many people, and Tony left him with this feeling of trust and comfort. He had not known the man long, but Harry's strongest feature, his intuition, usually pointed him in the right direction.

Harry loved the time that he got to spend with Tony: reading in his lab and offering suggestions while he worked on a new Mark, or flying with Tony above New York and stopping to eat at random restaurants, or just watching the stars in the observatory or sitting on Anthony's deck, especially sipping tea or coffee and watching the sunset. But there was still quite a bit of time during the day when he was forced back to his potions research or into some other pastime.

Harry usually explored the tower, worked out and trained, played with Thor's magical kitten, made potions and researched, read books in the huge library, or something else to occupy his time. However, today was one of those days that Harry was bored and Tony was gone and he was trying to explore.

He wasn't in the mood for alchemy, or he would have taken a stroll down to the science labs to experiment a little. He wasn't in the mood to cook, for once, but he was a little bit hungry. Maybe Thai takeout would be a good option, especially coupled with Netflix later; he was thinking of this when he had caught that scent, and it only served to intensify his hunger. The spell had been placed quite a bit ago, and had chosen now to present itself. He had been in the common room plenty of times since the magic had been laid, as he could tell by a quick diagnostic spell; he made dinner there quite frequently, whenever he wasn't cooking in Tony's rooms, and they had a sort of family night with different movies occasionally.

It was pure magic, a magic tracer really. Someone had left him a trail to follow and if he had to guess, his guess would be Loki. He stepped out of the elevator at the common floor, and looked to where the magic lead him. There was a beautifully transfigured orchid, dancing and shifting colors, hiding in an alcove off the entrance of the room; the current colors were green and gold, the traditional colors of the trickster himself. Coincidentally they were rival colors of Hogwarts, at this thought Harry smiled and moved closer to the flowers. The closer he got, the more apparent to him it was that the petals, and the plant, were covered in glass or ice. They shimmered and shone as the colors shifted once more to shades of blues and greys. He looked around the room once more, before moving to run a cautious finger over the plant. He smiled gently, and suddenly the elevator doors dinged. He turned to see a dark haired, green eyed man standing before the elevator. He was wearing loose fitting tunic pants, a tight fitting muscle shirt, and Harry could see the runes glimmering on his arms. Harry couldn't help but stare and take in what was the figure of a god. His hair was braided loosely and it hung to the side displaying a smallish chunk of tigers eye stone in the man's ear. His eyes were green and his hair was dark and his skin was pale, and Harry and he could have been related.

Harry cleared his throat, breaking the silence that had developed between them, and suddenly the man stepped forward rather quickly, his hands suddenly shifting to spit balls of ice in Harry's direction. Harry reacted as any war veteran would and produced an _Incendio_ spell, turning the shards to water, before using his magic to manipulate the water to whip towards the other male.

This had to be Loki, although, he wasn't completely sure why the man was fighting him.

The fighting became more intense, and Harry took a breath to put a protective coating around the objects in the room to keep them safe from destruction. Loki took this minute opening and shot a paralysis spell at Harry, to which he responded with a shield spell.

This was going to take a while, Harry hadn't fought anyone this challenging since the war.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Fury was watching the live feed streamed from Tony's tower into his office in D.C. He had sent Steve out on a simple mission while he bided his time to send him and Romanoff out to save "hostages" on a hired ship.<p>

"Why are you doing this to them?" Black Widow asked in a concerned fashion. She wasn't too close to either man, but both were genuine. She had hated Loki at first, resented him, until she saw him bent over a book in the library early one morning, dead asleep with dried tears on his face, the book crinkling with moisture. That one night she had been home in the past couple of weeks was the night when Tony and Harry baked those delicious peanut butter cookies, the same night that she began to hate Loki a little less. She had actually asked Thor about him recently, to which Thor opened up and let Loki's changes become known. Black Widow wasn't a very trusting woman, but these two men seemed to be headed towards gaining a bit of her trust that was open to mutual friends such as the Avengers. However, currently, Thor was away at Asgard on royal business, leaving the man unattended, Hawkeye had recently been assigned to some super secret undercover op, while Bruce Banner had fell off of the radar once more. She supposed that with only Tony in the tower to serve as a barrier, with his work schedule and with Steve also working, this was bound to happen sooner or later.

"I need to test them, there will always be competition and aggression between them unless they get this out now," Fury stated in a deadpan tone; the words he left unspoken were "they will be more useful than anyone knows in the coming days." Black Widow nodded and retreated into her mask, allowing her spy training to overtake her emotions.

* * *

><p>"Sir, I'm afraid I must interrupt your work,"<p>

"What is it JARVIS?" Tony blurted in the middle of the board meeting, he knew that JARVIS wouldn't override his privacy systems unless it was very important.

"The two guests in your Tower are tearing it apart, I would suggest going home for an early lunch sir." Tony's brow crinkled and he turned to look at the committee of trustees sitting around him. These older men wore frowns at this news, and Tony turned on the charm,

"Duty calls gentlemen, I am sure the Iron Man can clean it up in no time. Let's take a short lunch break and we'll return in, say, an hour and a half?" The men grumbled, but agreed as Tony strolled out of the room. He was on business in California today, and had taken the jet out here. He had known that he wouldn't get to see Harry for a couple days, and was excited to get home, but this wasn't how he envisioned it.

After all, it was a matter of time. Fury had set his chess pieces, he had pushed Loki and Harry against one another. He was surprised that it hadn't happened sooner actually. He supposed that for all of Loki's reformed personality, he still held self-preserving tactics, and had the strategy to wait until he and Harry were the only two in the tower. If he were a more concerned man, Tony would be a lot more worried for Harry's health. However, he knew that Loki's magic was bound, even if he was working his way to having it at full strength, and that Harry could damn well take care of himself.

Tony activated his briefcase suit with his bracelets, and soon reached the roof of his Malibu office, shooting towards the clouds, and back to the East Coast.

* * *

><p>"It doesn't have to be like this Loki, why are you fighting me?" Harry shouted as he blocked yet another razor sharp ice shard.<p>

"To test you, young wizard," Loki said calmly, before replicating himself to surround Harry. Harry gulped, and rose a defensive barrier all around, scrambling in his mind to find proper runes and rune chants to form a good attack.

"Give up. I can teach you so much more than you know. I can help you control your magic, in the way we do on Asgard. Just give up, and let me win, and we can begin our training" Loki said calmly, all 20 of him surrounding Harry. This was a fight for the alpha power in the house. Harry refused to be a beta.

"I'll fight until you make a more dangerous move, but until then, I surrender to no one, even if this is just a scrimmage match" Harry said with humor, Loki was infuriated by the quizzical little smile on the man's face.

"You fight well little wizard, but everything you've done up until now has been defensive. I seem to be holding the "upper hand" as you Midgardians would say" Loki said charmingly. The replications of himself walking in circles around Harry,

"Oh really?" Harry asked liltingly, and suddenly a bright white blast of magic radiated from his hands, and swept across Loki's replications.

Loki quickly tried to shield himself but found his magic going numb in his fingertips, the clever little quim had used a pathway numbing rune, and he found himself knocked backwards with a nasty cut on his head. Very very clever little wizard. Loki knew, however, he held just as much strength fighting without his magic as with it. He also knew that that particular Midgardian enchantment was founded on his own ruinic teaching to the Nords, and that Harry would have temporarily disabled magic as well.

He looked at the younger male, who beckoned at him teasingly, and soon they began a catlike acrobatic dance of the fighting arts. He had underestimated the slightly smaller male in front of him. It appeared that Harry's fighting skills were up to par with his magic; however, just like everything else on Midgard, it could be improved. He didn't want to sound cocky, after all, he was a prince but he was a very fallen one...

He simply didn't loose to the Avengers, he let them win. He had been poisoned by jealousy and anger, and Thanos' path had seemed ideal until he really began to threaten humanity at large. He was scared and betrayed and angered, but he never wanted to mass genocide an entire planet. He just wanted the same love and affection from Odin and Freya that they gave Thor. He just wanted the same recognition as a great warrior and conqueror that Thor held. He really did love his family, but he was so sick of it being twisted because of his resentment for being an outcast, not fitting in among the Aesir. So he put on yet another mask, one of hatred and disdain and bitterness, to fend off Thor's attempts at mending fences. What silly sayings these humans have.

When he lost to the Avengers, it was a cry for help. A huge play put on to get Thanos out of the way, and to get himself back into good graces. Mostly because he wanted reform. He would never be innocent, he would always love chaos and mischief and pranks and never be above killing or thieving to get his way, but he wanted a fresh start. Loki looked at the smaller male as he held Loki in a chokehold, a mistaken move because his kind didn't _have_ to breathe for quite some time to survive.

Harry was beginning to get tired; his body wasn't meant to expel that much magic in such a small time frame. Loki could tell that Harry was beginning to get weaker in his attacks and defenses, he could make this fragile human so much better. Manipulating Aesir magic would make him so much more powerful. His magic was growing, Loki could tell so, and his body wasn't a self-updating magic vessel that could handle it. He wanted to help this young wizard, but he had to submit.

Loki suddenly dealt the last blow; Harry was beginning to grow sluggish and dizzy and couldn't properly counter Loki when he sent him flying into the ground. Loki held one of Harry's pressure points and he screamed for a moment before passing out completely.

Loki looked around at the damage they had inflicted, minimal considering the protective coat that Harry had previously put in place.

He picked the smaller man up and proceeded to carry him to the medic floor with a small, regretful smile on his face.

* * *

><p>"Jarvis, give me their location within the tower"<p>

"The medical floor, it seems that Sir Loki has won the fight, and is tending to Harry's wounds," Tony's eyebrows drew up, as he was kind of surprised. He didn't realize that Loki's magic was that much closer to its original strength, he also didn't realize the threat to Harry. He couldn't find it in himself to be mad, however. He had done enough blaming lately. He also knew that he would feel a lot better whenever he saw Harry in person, and had a really strong gin and tonic with which to chew Loki out with.

He landed on his tower, strolling in as his armor collapsed off of his body. He did not jog, but fast-walked, to the med-bay where he found the Asgardian giving Harry some potions, and found Harry hooked up to an IV.

"What did you do to him?" Tony said in a low voice, trying to control his act first, think later impulses.

"I simply activated one of his body's pressure points that happened to coincide with his magic. He'll be awake in a few hours. He depleted his magical core quite a bit and he needs to rest." Loki bit out at the billionaire.

"I think I can take over from here Loki," Tony said warningly, he tried not to spit the fallen prince's name, he really did, but he didn't think it worked.

"Oh? You think you can take care of a magic user Stark? You mistake his magic for technological advance, you mistake his weaknesses as strengths. You are nowhere near an equal being to him. He needs a magic user, a magic tutor, someone who understands the power that he holds. Face it Tony Stark, you will never be enough to take care of Harry Potter."


	13. Chapter 13

Fury cursed aloud in his office. This was not something that was supposed to happen. Steve had been given strict orders to not bring back anyone to headquarters, ever, but he broke the ONE rule Nick had given him. Steve just sat there, looking properly chastised; beside him sat a man in a dark suit, with glowing yellow eyes, and a completely blank face.

"What can I do for you King T'Challa?"

"Wakanda needs SHIELD's help."

* * *

><p>Tony was in shock. He could not even speak. How dare he say something so correct. How dare Loki say that. Of course Loki was right, Tony and Harry came from different places, despite being so similar. Tony couldn't possibly begin to help Harry with whatever magical needs he held. Tony and Harry were very close, very close indeed, but there were still many shadows that they held from one another. Their pasts had been shared, but some areas were displayed in gruesome detail while others had been skimmed over in an attempt to hold some little part of themselves secret.<p>

Tony had learned from personal experience, that if you allowed someone in completely, they were more likely to shy away from you. They were more likely to weigh your baggage, and then decide not to take on the load. Besides, he loved finding out little things about Harry that he had not shared in the beginning. He only recently had discovered the man's penchant for praline ice cream.

He knew all of these things to be true, and yet for Loki to say this painfully truthful statement was not fair. Tony Stark may have everything: he may be rich and smart and famous, but he had never met someone so genuine, and he wasn't about to back down and let this budding relationship go.

He was not about to let Harry slip between his fingers.

"Watch your fucking tongue _Odinson_" Tony growled, and Loki recoiled a little.

"You see, you're right. I can't help Harry with magic. I can't understand some of his problems with his powers and missing his world. But he isn't exactly on every page of my brain either. We are imperfect, unlike you, the _god. _And while I would greatly appreciate you volunteering to tutor Harry or help him with his magic, you need to step way, _way_ back Reindeer Games." Loki's face had hardened, and he opened his mouth to retort,

"Save your snappy little comebacks….I know you're not okay. I saw it the minute you walked into my tower. Harry is a helper, a saver, and you and I both know he would go way out of his way to make sure anyone and everyone around him is okay and happy. I would like for you and Harry to be friends, I would like for you to give him help, I would like for him to strengthen his weaknesses. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up watching over Harry and...caring about Harry to you. You're not going to waltz in here and take the one of the few things I care about," Loki's face then fell. While Loki could spit truth and lies, Tony could do the same. Loki took one look at Harry lying in the hospital bed; the bruises on his arms and one on his neck hadn't healed at a supernatural rate yet, as it would have with him.

Loki looked at the fingerprint shaped bruises on that pressure point, looked at his hands in response, and fled the room.

Tony frowned and looked at Loki's retreating form before settling down beside Harry in a bed-side chair.

* * *

><p>"Why should we help Wakanda? They have shut themselves off from the world. Even though we both know what lies beneath your kingdom's soil..."<p>

"That is true, and we have not been forthcoming...If mass amounts of vibranium were to fall into the wrong hands Director Fury... I'm sure you understand," The black panther stood to pace, his boots clinking lightly against the floor.

"You see, my father was defeated by an enemy to our tribe. My people are stuck in the old ways, and they accept what changes occur without questioning authority, or questioning the welfare of themselves. This man will rip my country to shreds, in fact, he has already begun. He made a pact with Hydra: vibranium in exchange for power whenever 'Hydra hails all...' So I am sure you now understand, Mr. Fury, why I have come to you." Fury cursed inside of his head. He knew of SHIELD's infiltration. He knew of Hydra's steadily growing forces. He had hoped to combat this another way, but maybe... If he cut the Avengers loose as their own initiative... He needed more time. He needed a lot more time.

"Captain Rogers, please take T'Challa back to the Avengers tower with you and stay there for a while. We would be happy to do business with you and help arrange an infiltration, but you are going to have to arrange that with the Avengers. They are, as of now, an independent vigilante group. Please pass this on to Mr. Stark, Captain Rogers" Captain America sat, rigid for a moment, letting his face show his surprise. Fury always had to be in control. He always had to know his pawns positions on the board. This was out of character for the man.

"Right sir," the man finally acquiesced

Fury pressed a comm link,

"Maria, see to it that Captain America and the Black Panther have safe transportation back to New York"

"Right away sir."

* * *

><p>Draco hadn't heard from Harry in a week. The deadline for their travel was shortly upcoming, and things in wizarding Britain were becoming a bit unsettled.<p>

News of Harry's departure from England was quite the stir now, creating rumors of him either "abandoning the nation" or "becoming the next dark lord." Draco could slap everyone in this little section world. All of these wizards and witches were behind the times, all stuck in the dark ages, left to rumor about one man while they baked their bread and went to their silly little ministry jobs.

Draco could care less. As long as he, Hermione, and the little ones stayed in Malfoy Manor they would be perfectly fine.

It was difficult to resist the temptation to go out into the world, he had always been a social butterfly, but he wasn't going to chance it. They were currently holed up in the French mansion, near to a small French town. He and Hermione shopped at the muggle town close to their provencal mansion, to avoid being spotted by other, nosy, wizards. Hermione was actually out with the boys, getting them new muggle clothes now. He just hoped that Harry would pull through soon.

* * *

><p>"I thought you said he would wake up in a few hours," Tony stark stood with his arms crossed in the doorway to the library. He knew Loki was hiding in here somewhere. He heard an echo of a voice.<p>

"I thought you heard me when I said that he depleted his magical core and would need further rest" The voice snipped back. Tony rolled his eyes and strode from the doorway. Loki better be glad that Harry's vitals were stable."We're here" Steve said hesitantly. The jet ride from D.C. to Manhattan had been quiet, and thoughtful. Both men had different concerns and thoughts on their mind.

* * *

><p><em>"We're here" Steve said hesitantly. The jet ride from D.C. to Manhattan had been quiet, and thoughtful. Both men had different concerns and thoughts on their mind.<em>

"You'll need to introduce yourself to Jarvis, and the rest of the team members. Though I'm sure they will not be here until later. Especially Dr. Banner and Clint Barton, most likely Thor as well." T'Challa nodded, and followed Steve inside the large tower. Cap scanned his elevator card that took them to the upper floors,

"Jarvis, where are the Avengers in the tower?" Steve asked hesitantly, he was still uneasy at the disembodied voice.

"Sir Loki is hiding in the library, from Mr. Stark and Mr. Potter, who are in the medical bay," Steve's eyes widened,

"Why are they there?"

"Loki and Harry had a quarrel sir, though now Mr. Potter's vitals are stable and there was minimal damage done to the common floor. Do you wish for an update on the other Avengers?"

"Sure Jarvis," Captain said in a worried tone, while the African just observed the whole scene with detached interest.

"Natasha Romanoff's ID badge puts her in transit from D.C. to the tower. Clint Barton's ID badge is a bit scrambled, but he is approximately twenty miles south of the Nigerian border as of current. Bruce Banner's ID badge puts him outside of Delhi, if needed, he can be contacted using his Avengers Assemble emergency line. Thor Odinson is outside of my computing ranges, most likely in another of the nine realms. Is there anything else you need sir?" Jarvis asked, Steve shook his head as the elevator doors to the med bay opened,

"Will Sir Okonkwo be registering for an ID badge Sir Rogers?"

"Yes Jarvis, but we will attend to that after checking on Harry,"

"Very well sir"

T'Challa had already exited the elevator, and Captain America followed him. He shortly gained ground ahead of the man who was lazily strolling, as if he himself were a giant jungle cat close to his afternoon nap.

Steve reached the main area of the medical floor, pausing to see which room on the screen was lit up before heading to that room further down the hall.

"Nice to see you home safe Capsicle" Tony said from the chair beside Harry's bed. He had his tablet in his hands, scrolling through business emails no doubt, and he was still dressed in his suit.

"How has your day been Cap? I'm guessing eventful since you're hosting King T'Challa of Wakanda" Tony said humorlessly, still not glancing up from his technology.

"Well, I ran into him during my mission earlier this week...He has helped me immensely. He wishes to join us, in exchange for our help," the Black Panther looked at him in a quizzical way, as they had not exactly agreed on this point. Tony still hadn't looked up,

"Our help with what? An invader in Wakanda? Has SHIELD given us their approval?" Tony asked the last question in a highly sarcastic manner, mocking SHIELD's "all knowing" power.

"Fury cut us loose" Steve bit out; Tony's head shot up, his face struggling to hide his surprise,

"We are technically vigilantes now. Natasha and Clint still work for SHIELD, and Fury still has a hand in the way things will be, but he cut us loose. I feel like something bad is going to happen Tony," Steve trailed off and ran a hand through his hair.

"Fury has no obvious reason for cutting us loose, something bad has to be happening..."

"Anyways, how did this happen?" Steve asked, gesturing to the still unconscious Harry.

"Loki challenged him...exactly how Fury wanted. Loki won. I was at work, and I had to go back to work to wrap up a meeting after I made sure he was stable" Tony trailed off, brushing hair off of Harry's forehead.

"Loki said he should wake up after his magical core is full again..." Steve looked to him sympathetically,

"You know he needs Loki's help..." Steve said in a quiet voice, the timid leader not wanting to really rock the boat.

"I know. I plan on letting Loki help...What can we do for you Black Panther?"

"I suppose I need to register for an ID badge, Anthony Stark." Tony smiled a sharkish smile,

"Well if Captain Rogers will stay with Harry, I will gladly escort you to to get this done, at the price of a few answered questions of course..."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you want me back at the tower Nick? You know you're at risk right now. You need someone to trust, more than just Hill."<p>

"Yes Agent Romanoff. I may be at risk but that might be a risk I need to take. My strategy must be updated; there are unforeseen events that have occurred. Once in the tower, try to get ahold of Banner and Barton; although Barton may not be able to cut loose for at least a month."

"Yes sir, please take care Director"

"Always Agent Romanoff" Fury said before disconnecting. Romanoff sighed, continuing on her route on to New York on her motorcycle. She wished she could have caught Cap's vehicle before they left. This was going to be a long ride.


	14. Chapter 14

"He woke up Tony, I'm getting him some water and tending to him, he wants to talk to Loki,"

"Well, let him. I'll be up there shortly. Try to keep him in bed and attached to the IV until a full vital scan can be done Cap," Tony disconnected the line,

"So there is a chance I can have a sample of vibranium for analysis?" Tony asked again, leading T'Challa to the elevator.

The man still wore his Black Panther mask, but Tony could hear the sardonic smile in his voice,

"After we tend to my people you can have more than a sample Stark," He answered in a smooth voice, and Tony just smiled. He was trying to cover his worry for Harry with an overbearing mask, a mask he used to wear frequently. T'Challa had already caught on. There were just too many observers on this damn team. It almost angered Tony, that he couldn't even wear a convincing mask in his own tower.

"Where is this Loki?" Black Panther asked once they were in the elevator,

"He's in the library. I ordered Jarvis earlier to set up a floor for you, and you can just go ahead and either go to your chambers or go meet with Steve, and I'll retrieve him." Tony answered as the elevator jerked to a halt. T'Challa gave him a raised eyebrow, but said nothing, and allowed Tony to get off on the library floor.

"He's awake"

"I figured," the disembodied voice answered,

"He wants to talk to you" Tony said, angry at Loki's petulance...though he had little room to talk.

"Does he really?" the wizard asked in a sarcastically sad way,

"Yes he does so stop pouting and get your moody little ass to the med bay" Tony lashed out, suddenly Loki appeared before him, and before he could block it, Loki's fist connected with his nose.

"Aw fuck, you brough muh nooze" Tony said while trying to stem the blood, Loki laughed openly at him before flicking a wrist at Tony's face, which caused a loud sickening crack and the blood to stop,

"FUCK that hurt worse than breaking it, damn you're such a shit" Tony exclaimed, still holding his nose. Loki, smirking, answered,

"I've wanted to do that all afternoon Stark"

"After you insulted me? Oh no wise guy, you had that coming," Loki rolled his eyes and side stepped Tony to get into the elevator.

* * *

><p>"Why did you do it?" Harry asked upon seeing Loki. Steve looked upon the scene worriedly, T'Challa had came here instead of retreating to his quarters, and Tony was watching the ordeal from the chair beside Harry's bed, occasionally stroking Harry's hand or hair.<p>

"You know why, don't ask pointless questions" Loki answered in a bored tone, to which Harry sneered and said,

"I don't want your help if you're going to act like a giant prat the whole time you're trying to teach me," Loki snapped his head around to face Harry, and smirked,

"Well, maybe you should have just submitted to start with. You need my help. You _need _me, and you know it,"

"I've lasted this long without you, I've come up with ways to fend for myself before and I can do it now. I don't need you. So stop acting like a stuck up wanker because you feel guilty that you hurt me," Harry stated, blank faced. Loki reeled a little, surprised that the smaller wizard had read him so easily,

"I feel guilt for nothing,"

"Not true Reindeer Games, don't think that no one in this room has talked to Thor," Tony said in a monotone, pretending to admire his nails. Steve said nothing, choosing to remain neutral rather than butt in.

"Oh and don't think any of you are off the hook either _Anthony_, I am very vested in beginning a relationship with you, but do not think for one moment that I've fallen into a comfort zone. Do not think for one moment that I am anything different than the soldier that Fury tried to recruit. Don't think that just because Fury has cut you loose that he still doesn't have fingers in this pie, I-" Jarvis cut Harry off, to which he shot an annoyed look at the ceiling and fiddled with his IV.

"Sirs, Miss Romanoff is in the building, heading for your floor. She has contacted the remaining unassembled Avengers."

"Very well Jarvis" Tony said, allowing the conversation to flow once more, after the little bit of a calming break. Harry took a deep breath and decided to redirect the conversation for a moment,

"I want your help," He directed towards Loki, "I do not need it, and I will only ask once. Do not mistake me for a weakling, if you want to help me, you can, but I will not beg or plead with you." Harry said resolutely, observing the way Loki's face shifted and pinched.

"I would enjoy if you could help me control my magic's growth, maybe manipulate it in different ways, teach me things unknown on earth, and possibly become friends. Will you accept my offer?" Harry asked, extending his hand out towards Loki. Tony watched in apprehension. He shouldn't be this nervous right now.

"I accept" Loki bit out, reaching to clasp forearms with Harry, to which Harry laid a hand over their hands, and let some magic seep over them. Soon, red tendrils began to twirl tightly around the men's arms, leaving a breadth of space for another swirl. Loki then hesitantly lowered his hand to their union, allowing his tendrils of green to seal their agreement. After the room watched the exchange warily and Loki stepped back from Harry's bed, Harry continued upon his earlier topic.

"I want to stay here Tony, don't get me wrong, but I have a small window available. I came here for my potions research. I didn't come here to become a hero. I found you, and for that I'm grateful; I've been enjoying making new friends and living here and forming a bond with you...but I have two friends of mine, that have children, that need to get across the pond and I don't want to bring them into whatever war you have coming. I didn't come here to re-enlist," He paused and stared hardly as Tony's pained face, "I'll help you and back you in whatever you need Tony, I want to pursue this relationship, I want to stay here with you, but I also need my life...I moved here for a new life Tony, do you understand?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea Harry...two new people in the tower, plus kids, whenever things are about to blow up?" Tony had been holding his hand as Romanoff strolled into the room.

"They're very strong magical users though Tony, they could help us with whatever it is, but I will not put them in danger...If danger comes to them I will leave as I need to,"

"In the meantime, what about the children? My facilities aren't exactly equipped for children..." Tony said nervously; he was actually more scared of children than his tower was.

"They are older children, and they are very quiet and bookish. Hermione watches after them, and most of the time they don't need looking after 24/7. These people are the closest to my family that I even have lef0..t." Harry looked down in sadness, avoiding the gaze of everyone in the room.

Romanoff butted in,  
>"We don't have time for babysitting...something big is about to happen in SHIELD. Something big is about to happen with Hydra. Something big is about to blow up. We don't need any more newcomers to take care of or learn to trust," She bit out, Tony turned to her and opened his mouth, about to spill venom in Harry's honor when Harry spoke up,<p>

"You are right. You do not need any more newcomers. It would probably be best if I left the tower..."

"Harry no, you need Loki's help and we...I...need you..." Tony said, Captain America glanced at the man in wonder at his outburst, Romanoff looked slightly annoyed, Loki looked pained, and T'Challa stayed amusedly neutral. This man seemed to garner great reactions, and any great man the Black Panther had ever known had garnered grand reactions from those around him.

"But if I need to leave to support my friends, pursue my potions I will, I do not want to get caught up in your team's politics Tony..." Harry trailed off and refused to look at him,

"Everyone leave the room please," Tony said with a deceptively calm voice. He was staring intently at Harry. The moment that everyone filed out of the room, Tony stood and grabbed Harry's face, pulling him forward. Tony crashed their lips together forcefully, biting on Harry's lips and slipping his tongue into Harry's mouth. Harry moaned and opened his mouth willingly, his face heating, and Tony's fingers twining through his hair. Tony then broke the kiss, still holding Harry's face gently, and bestowed a breathtaking, caring kiss onto his lips.

"We'll work something out. I promise we will. I want you to stay so bad. I understand if you need to leave for yourself, but I need you...More than I've ever needed another person before in my life. You make me vulnerable. You make me feel. You make me want to be a better person. And I want to beg you to stay, but I can't if you leaving is what makes you happy," Tony spoke in hushed tones, getting lost in Harry's vibrant emerald eyes, and after he was through, Harry grasped his face and pulled him in for another kiss. Kissing Harry was as close as Tony thought he would ever get to magic.


	15. Chapter 15

_Draco and Hermione,_

_I know I told you I would give you an out from Britain and I've done my best to pull some strings and come through with my end of the bargain. I have cleared your entrance with the American government (as much as I can without you actually being present) and I have secured you fake muggle IDs. There is a portkey enclosed in this letter, use it in exactly 3 days at 5 p.m. your time. I have secured a home for you, not too far from the Stark Tower, (P.S. Draco can pay me back later for the mansion) and it's pretty spacious (8 bedrooms, 10 baths) so I feel it will be a good fit for you two and the children._

"Thanks you prat" Draco sneered and Hermione smiled, as she could picture Harry's smirk as he wrote that extra script,

"Keep reading Dragon, we need to know why he bought a house. I feel like there's something he isn't telling us...I thought he and his new friends were getting along well..."

_Things with Tony's line of work have gotten...hectic...and while I would hate to call on you to enter another war, I fear I may have to. That's why I have secured a home, outside of the Avenger's domain, for you (as well as myself) to live in. All of you will still be able to interact with the team, but I feel we, just us, need some time to readjust to our friendship and to build closer bonds…I've been looking into magical bonds lately, and Loki (yes actual Norse God magical Loki) has been tutoring me in different ways to handle my magic…  
>I also need time to re-acclimate myself to my career goals, and get back on track with my life outside of my newfound relationships. I am very much looking forward to you two visiting, and I cannot wait to see little Rosie and Hugo.<em>

_With love,  
>Harry<em>

"I do hope he hasn't gotten in over his head again..." Draco shot a look to Hermione as she said this,

"He is a grown arse man Herm, he can handle swimming without sinking."

"You don't know Harry's penchant for trouble like I do, Draco..." With this, they both sighed, agreed, and continued their packing of the Provencal home.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this is what you have to do? I've loved having you here. I'm going to miss your cooking and our sparring and your humor and your voice and your eyes and you and please stay?" all of this said in an voice meant to disguise Tony's true, and deep, feelings.<p>

"It's not like I'm leaving forever Tony, don't be so dramatic" Harry stated as he continued packing. Tony was reclined in bed, his naked chest rising and falling as he read the morning paper on Jarvis' interface screen. Tony mumbled under his breath, and Harry turned to him with an amused smile,

"You're still being dramatic" He lilted teasingly, waiting for the man to swat him with the newspaper. Harry turned back to folding his shirts to put in his never-ending suitcase, and Tony snuck up on him from behind, grabbing his waist and throwing him to the bed.

"Mr. Stark! It is quite rude to manhandle your house guests! Why-" Tony silenced him with a passionate kiss, and when he finally broke away gasping asked,

"Now what was that _luv_?" in a teasing tone, Harry simply looked at him, eyes glassy and out of focus,

"Shut up, prat" he said in a soft, smoldering tone before grabbing the back of Tony's neck and bringing him in for another kiss. The men continued to make out heavily, and Tony's hands started to drift, brushing against one of the slighter male's sensitive nipples. Tony was glad that Harry's were responsive, because his certainly weren't. He tweaked the hardened bud and was rewarded with a groan into his mouth.

"Sirs" Jarvis interrupted sassily, making Tony groan in frustration, and Harry send him a satisfied, and rather saucy, smirk.

"Yes Jarvis?" Harry intoned sweetly,

"It seems that Sirs Odinson are in a confrontation,"

"Well looks like Thor is back..." grumbled Tony.

* * *

><p>"YOU COULD HAVE BROKEN THE MAN OF IRON'S CONSORT! YOU COULD HAVE HURT JAMESON"<p>

"THEY ARE MORTAL THOR, NOT GLASS!"

The men screamed at each other while Steve, T'Challa, and Natasha watched in a wary fashion, ready to split the men up if necessary.

"IT WOULD BE BEST NOT TO TAKE CHANCES BROTHER!"

"JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT SEXUALLY SATISFIED, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO TREAT JANE FOSTER LIKE GLASS WHEN YOU FUCK HER, DOES NOT MEAN THAT EVERY HUMAN IS LIKE GLASS. HARRY MORE THAN FOUGHT BACK YOU OAF,"

At this, Harry cleared his throat and the men automatically stopped; Loki taking on a wry face, a smirk at his student, while Thor looked properly embarrassed.

"Thank you for protecting my honor Thor, it means a lot...but you and I both know that your little brother is always going to be a competitive little shite and he's going to do whatever he wants to do, regardless of others' opinions." Harry smirked victoriously at Loki's petulant frown, and the rest of the Avengers assembled held back laughs at the incredibly odd situation.

"Oh, Tony, Bruce said he had something he wanted to show you" Steve said, turning back to his tangible, paper, newspaper. Tony leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek before heading back to the elevator to go down to the lab floors.

"So you are leaving Son of James? Is this permanent?" Thor turned to him, suddenly less aggravated, and more concerned.

"I will still be around Thor, but you all seem to have a rocky path ahead. I wish to avoid this if I can," though it was probably against Thor's warrior code, he wisely just nodded seriously.

"So who wants some brunch?" Harry asked, walking towards the kitchen on the common floor he had come to know as a home.

* * *

><p>Harry swam in the small sun deck pool, loving the mild-may weather and enjoying the bit of the warming charm he put over the deck.<p>

"Harry, baby, I'm hungry" Tony complained, going over contracts and paperwork per Harry's and Pepper's orders.

"We'll eat once my guests get here. I'll even call in some pizza okay?"

"To your new house?" He asked curiously. Tony wasn't completely sure why Harry programmed the port thingy to send his friends to the tower when he wanted them to move into the new house the same night. Harry was a strange bird, perhaps a bit feminine, but Tony didn't mind. The less planning and formalities he had to worry about, the better.

"Probably. We're going to give them a tour of the apartment, note the word apartment Tony, not tower, and I'll order pizza for the house and we'll take a cab?"

"It would be better to do your magical travel thingy, I think the press would enjoy our outing far too much. There's already been a lot of speculation about our relationship and your relation to the Avengers floating around."

Harry turned to give him a coy, teasing look,  
>"Are you ashamed of our relationship Anthony? Are you ashamed of being….a pouf?!" Harry said in a very flamboyant manner, flipping his wrists and widening his eyes in a show of innocence. Instead of waiting for Tony's answer, he climbed quickly out of the pool and moved to give the man a sloppy, very wet, kiss.<p>

"Haaaaarry," Tony whined as the pool water dripped all over him,

"What baby? You don't like that I'm wet for you?" Harry teased, knowing the man was still a little self-conscious of his feelings for Harry, and the fact that he was a male.

Suddenly there was a whooshing sound, and Harry reacted fast to leap up, dry Tony's apparel with a wave of his hand, and grab his towel to look as if he were normally drying off. Then, in a bit of a whirlwind, there were two small figures and two big figures standing to the side of the pool.

"UNCLE HARRY!" was the first thing Tony heard as the four figures became clear. Then, two little auburn haired children jumped on Harry as he sank to the ground to greet them on their level. The children were quite handsome in Tony's opinion, with smatterings of freckles, one with blue eyes and one with brown, and dark brown-red hair.

Tony kept up his observations, tearing his eyes away from the heart-swelling sight of Harry playing with children. There was a smaller woman, about the same height as Harry, who had curled, messy, honey brown hair that fell down her shoulders and matched her chocolate eyes. Her face and body were quite pretty and Tony tensed, whether from jealousy or from some unknown regret of his sexuality, he wasn't sure.

His eyes then moved to the platinum blonde next to her, who was giving Tony a very thorough once over. The man looked vaguely familiar; he had striking features and sharp, keen mercury colored eyes. The man was quite…something. He stood tall and proud, and carried himself like a man of importance. Tony was quite struck by Harry's friends, even though he wasn't sure what he expected them to look like anyways.

"Okay, guys let me up! Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, this is Tony Stark," Harry spoke, gesturing to the correct people when necessary,

"Hugo and Rose, this is Mister Tony! You be nice to him...and no pranks!"

"Hello!" They said cheerfully, and smiled a bit mischievously at Tony's last remark. Rose curtsied and Hugo puffed his chest and held out a hand for Tony to shake, which he did gingerly, smiling at the little boy trying to crush his hands.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Stark, I have not heard nearly enough about you," Hermione gushed, rushing to shake Tony's hand. He took her dainty hand and kissed the top of it,

"Well, ask away, I am an open book" he smiled to all of the adults in attendance, shifting uncomfortably at his own polite offer.

"But first, let me give everyone the tour, and then we can head to the house to eat some lunch," Harry chimed in. Tony looked to him, smiled gratefully, and then wondered about the lack of baggage with the traveling people.

"That bag is probably heavy Mione, can I carry it for you?" Harry offered as he accio'd himself a shirt to slip over his athletic, bare chest.

"Oh, no Harry, I put a featherweight charm on it." She said smartly, looking around at the lavish surroundings while she responded.

"Catch the old 'muggle' up here?" Tony said jokingly, glad he remembered the non-magical term,

"Oh, when packing a multitude of items, to avoid a large shipping cost, you put extension charms on your bags, shrink your items, and put protective charms on the bag to make it like one giant suitcase into a miniature object" Hermione explained kindly, stopping to observe a Matisse painting which hung in the living room.

"Yes, well, shall we begin the tour?" Harry said in an odd manner, to which all eyes but the amazed children's drew to his face.  
>Tony caught his unease and smartly interjected,<p>

"Well, to begin with, this is the living room ladies and gents!"


	16. Chapter 16

"So why does Hermione talking about magic make you uneasy?" Tony cornered him as they slipped to the kitchen to make tea,

"It's just…It's going to sound ridiculous out loud…"

"Try me babe," Tony said caringly, grabbing Harry's hands from their flurry of activities and forcing him to look Tony in the eyes,

"You're just…You're mine. You're separate from my magical heritage. You're separate from Britain, and while I'm glad Hermione and Draco and the children are here…..every time I've truly cared for something outside of the magical world, and my magical world has touched it, even for the briefest of seconds, what I care about is destroyed…" Harry finished in a soft voice, and Tony reached for his limp body, bringing him into a tight hug,

"It'll be okay…I'm invincible, I'm Iron Man" Tony smiled at Harry, moving to wipe a tear that had slipped from those gorgeous green eyes. Harry could hear Hermione and Draco murmuring as they slipped back into Tony's living area,

"You have a very nice home Mister Stark" complimented Hermione,

"Yes, well, Harry has picked out quite the lovely American home for you all" Tony said, countering her compliment while reaching for Harry's hand. Surprisingly, Harry gripped his hand very tightly instead of ignoring it, to which Draco's eyebrows leavened a bit.

"So when do we get to meet the rest of your…friends Harry?" Hermione asked cautiously, glancing over at where Rose and Hugo were playing around with some toy planes that Tony had brought from somewhere else in the house.

"Maybe not today…How about we move into the mansion and get settled, and I'll make a large dinner and we can invite them to come see the house?"

"You know Cap would love that" Tony said encouragingly, looking at the children.  
>Did he even <em>want<em> children? He looked back to Harry, did Harry?

"That sounds lovely Harry, so are you going to be commuting back and forth between the tower and..our, home?" Hermione asked, she always knew how to roundabout a subject while finding out what she wanted to know.

"I will more than likely spend a predominant amount of time at our home. I will come to the tower when needed, or for "family" dinner on Wednesdays…or for dates" he added at the sight of Tony's pout.

"Well, why don't we depart?" said Draco impatiently, looking out the large windows to see the city below. He loved New York, he had told Harry numerous times how many attractive benders there were on this side of the pond.

"Cab or apparition?"

"I'll call a cab sir" intoned a British voice that had Hermione and Draco both jumping,

"Introduce yourself please Jarvis," Tony said in an amused voice,

"Yes sir, how very rude of me; Jarvis at your service, Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger."

"What is a…Jarvis?" Draco asked hesitantly, looking around for the source of the voice,

"I am a who Mr. Malfoy, I am an AI, or Artificial Intelligence. Think of me as Mr. Stark's personal assistant, besides the lovely Pepper Potts, whom you two have not met yet" the British voice intoned while Harry took in his friend's reactions with amusement.

"So… he's basically a sentient computer program?" Hermione asked with a small smile while Draco continued to look a bit creeped, and put, out.

"Very nice Mrs. Granger. How far does your grasp of…Wugmple is it? Muggle? Oh, alright…technology reach?"

"I have a better understanding of it than Draco does, but I feel me and Harry are probably about on an even playing field, why do you ask?" Hermione loved new projects, and being included into information, and Harry almost chuckled at new prospects sparkling in her eyes.

"I need to invent some sort of dampener for my technology that ensures that Harry's, or your's or Draco's for that matter, magic will not interfere with muggle circuitry" Tony stated matter of fact, standing as his watch beeped, Jarvis signaling him that a mini-van cab had arrived.

"Rose, Hugo!" Hermione semi-shouted in a kind voice, and when there was no response, she echoed again,

"Rose? Hugo?" moving to where they were playing last, seeing a mussed play area with no auburn haired children in sight.

"ROSE! HUGO!" she shouted more angered now, upon Harry and Tony and Draco splitting up to search the child-reachable areas of the apartment.

It seemed that the "Golden Trio's" propensity for danger and getting into trouble had rubbed off onto their offspring.

* * *

><p>Steve just sat silently, watching the two children as they bickered over a chocolate chip cookie in the common room. They were quite handsome children, with dark curly hair that held a sheen of red to it, lots of freckles, and they were even dressed handsomely. The little girl with blue eyes wore an adorable corn-flower blue pinafore dress and Steve believed she was no older than six or seven. They had wandered out of the elevator, obviously too smart for their age, and began at once to play up their childish antics.<p>

Thor sat in the dining room, not too far from them, with a tankard of mead. He was also watching them warily. The inquisitive children had noticed the two adults in the room, and Steve was almost positive they were putting on a childish air in order to make low-key observations about the two men.

Natasha was busy collecting Hawkeye from God knows where, T'Challa was likely prowling around the corridors or practicing his fighting skills (he was a bit too serious for Steve, and Steve liked to think he was pretty serious), Bruce was relaxing and keeping the Green Man down in the spa area of the pool floor, and Loki was sulking around the library since Harry told him that he couldn't meet his wizard and witch friends today.

However, if Steve were to take a wild guess (note that he never uses sarcasm but feels it sometimes appropriate) these would be the witch's children.

"You two know there's another plate of cookies correct? Your Uncle Harry would never make just one batch for a bunch of men," Steve said, still observing the children, who turned to smile warmly at him.

"We were just testing your waters" said the young girl in a clear voice; Steve didn't know if he wanted to smile, laugh, or tuck tail and run. Thor raised an eyebrow at this, but wisely decided to stay out of the conversation, noting how comfortably the Captain handled the children.

"I see, and you two are?" the Captain asked, standing and smiling at their eyes widening at his height and size. The little girl leaned over and whispered something into the boys ear to which his eyes widened and he cracked a large smile,

"I'm Rose" said the little girl, curtseying and holding her hand out for Steve, which he amusedly took and kissed gently,

"and I am Hugo" said the boy, making an effort to make his voice seem lower and his chest seem wider. Steve looked at the boy's build, and knew that he was going to be a barrel-chested and wide-shouldered man, most likely built similar to himself or Thor.

"And where is your mother, Rose and Hugo?" Steve asked, squatting to be near their level,

"We can take you to her!" Rose said excitedly, and grabbed Steve's hand, gently dragging him towards the elevator,

"Well that would be very nice of you Rose, I do believe she is probably worried sick about you two" Steve said, smiling at the pair before shooting Thor a look, to which Thor tried to mimic a thumbs up (his most recently learned gesture other than LOL and the peace sign) and gave Steve a broad smile.

He ushered the children into the elevator, noting that they pressed Tony's floor button with ease. Normally, Jarvis would have asked for a passcode or a fingerprint/retinal scan, but he guessed Jarvis overrode it for the children.

He stepped out of the elevator, Rose still holding his hand, and Hugo standing slightly behind his leg,

"I believe you….lost…these..." he stammered the last few words as a slight, chestnut haired woman ran to collect the children in her arms, examining them carefully for damage.

"Could you please tell me before you run off?" she asked with mild annoyance, to which Rose and Hugo both smiled and nodded in unison.

"Thank you, Mister..?"

"Rogers, Steve Rogers, but you can just called me Steve" he spat out all at once, blushing.

"Right, thank you Steve.., for finding them" the woman smiled and he smiled widely back.

Lord she was beautiful. She had big chocolate doe eyes and curly messy hair (obviously passed to her darling children, Steve might add) and a slight, yet well endowed, motherly, frame, and a tiny pouty mouth (at which observation Steve's thoughts strayed to a very un-moral place and he found himself the shade of red found upon his shield).

"It was no problem, Mrs?"

"Miss, its Ms. Hermione Granger" she said softly, and Steve couldn't help but feel prideful of his looks as she examined him.

"You children are…precious Ms. Granger" he complimented, still not breaking eye contact with her,

"Oh nonsense call me Hermione" she intoned, her nose wrinkling in the cutest way with amusement. Suddenly a tall, sharp featured, striking blonde man appeared and cleared his throat,

"Are you two going to stand here giving each other pygmy puff stares all day or are we going to go catch the cab?" he sated sassily, enjoying his own chance to look over the blonde hunk. America certainly made them beautiful. Draco licked his lips.

"Certainly, I shall not hold you up any longer, nice to meet you Ms..Hermione, Rose and Hugo" he intoned, simply looking down with a wide smile when Rose and Hugo attached themselves to each of his legs with a tight hug.

"It was nice to meet you as well Mr-"

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," the sassy blonde interrupted, and pushed past the man to stand near the elevator to watch impatiently. Harry and Tony suddenly came into view, Tony giving Harry the saddest look Captain America had even seen grace the Iron Man's face.

"Well, we better get going Steve, I hope to see you again in the future" the petite's soft voice reached his ears and he glanced down, his blush growing upon seeing her blush, paired with confident, amused eyes.

"Me as well Ms. Granger, me as well" with this Steve took her hand, kissed it, and ran to the elevator to escape his feelings.  
>Harry and Tony simply chuckled and shared a look as Hermione rubbed her hand with a smile.<p>

* * *

><p>"The home is…it will... it will work Potter," Draco sniffed, trying not to sound impressed with the quite handsome town-home located a few blocks away from the tower, near the coffee shop where Tony and Harry first met. Tony eyed him with annoyance, and Harry elbowed him in the ribs. Draco and Tony were very similar, big egos, great looks, thirst for luxury, born into money, it only made sense they wouldn't get along until they realized their eery similarities.<p>

Harry ushered them into the house very quickly, telling Tony to order some pizza on his smart phone while showing the small gathering the fully furnished house.

Tony broke away from the group, and Harry soon followed while Hermione, Draco, and the children picked bedrooms.

"So when are you coming back to the tower I miss you already" Tony petulantly pouted to which Harry smirked and giggled,

"Today is April 29th is it not?" Harry asked, starting to place small kisses down Tony's chest and neck once the man had captured him in an embrace.

"Well, I will come over for an amazing date/dinner tomorrow night, we will make love for the first time, and then the next day you will coddle me and allow me to cry until you get me out of bed, using alcohol, and back to the townhouse" Tony started Harry's declaration with an excited countenance which switched to shock, sadness, and then anger.

"Why would you be so upset after letting me make love to you," Tony whispered angrily, to which Harry recoiled a little, and softly whispered,

"Think about the date luv..…" to which Tony's eyebrows furrowed before his expression softened and he held Harry tighter,

"Oh..babe…That's the anniversary of..…I'm sorry"

"No it's okay, you couldn't possibly remember that. It's just that…that's my day I set aside for myself every year to mope, cry,  
>mourn, feel guilty, pity myself, etc. That's why I said you'd have to bait me out of bed with alcohol" Harry let loose a small, sad smile.<p>

"Well, if a spectacular date and a spectacular, what is it you Brits call it, _shag_ is what you want, it is most definitely what you will get," Tony said with full bravado, covering his still gaping insecurity about how to be with a man. Of course, Harry had sucked his cock, a few times, and damn the slighter male had the mouth of an angel. Of course, he had held Harry down and explored his body and returned the favor in these past few weeks, but was he ready for this?

Tony contemplated that for a while and just held Harry tight against his chest, stroking the man's raven locks.

If this was what Harry needed and wanted to distract himself from his misery, Tony would do anything to put a smile on his face and dry his tears… He loved it when Harry smiled. Hell, he loved every face Harry made. Tony then leaned forward and gently kissed Harry, leaving the man gasping in surprise at the completely emotional gesture.

"I'm going to fuck you so many times you won't even remember what day it is my little magician," Tony whispered, drawing his lips against the shell of Harry's ear and smirking when Harry shivered and let out a gasp.

"HARRY I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ALREADY CLAIMED THE BEDROOM WITH THE BEST BATHTUB," shouted Draco's voice under a sonorous charm, Harry giggled and Tony smiled and kissed his nose. This wizard was truly something else.

* * *

><p>Later that night, once Tony had reluctantly said his goodbyes, Harry had helped his friends unpack, and promptly told them goodnight, he sat in his potions lab, reviewing his prized journal of Snape's.<p>

There was just something, some step or phase he was missing to complete this first half of his new and improved wolfsbane potion. Maybe it was when the monkshood was harvested? Personally he believed that even the modified version held too much wolfsbane. He wanted their transformation to be less painful, for them to have some semblance of control...What was he missing?  
>He heard the door to his lab open, and turned to see Hermione standing in a flannel nightgown, looking like a grown version of her Hogwart's self.<p>

He remembered a gown similar to that one being worn by her in the Gryffindor common room, when himself, Ron, Neville, Ginny, George and Fred stayed awake late at night to discuss the war. It was a plaid flannel, with stripes of green and yellow running through the fabric; he suddenly remembered George and Fred needling her about house unity with the "bloody tartan nightie's" colors.

Harry smiled and moved to embrace the smaller woman, feeling her sag into his arms,

"Hard times huh Mione" he said gently, noting that her smaller frame was shaking.

"It's been hard..staying so strong in front of Rose and Hugo. Of course they miss their father, but they were smart enough to figure out _almost_ exactly what happened when it was revealed to the family. They are mad at him…but he's their father. I can't exactly expect them to stay mad forever. It's just been hard trying to juggle my Ministry job and the children and pretending to be happy…it's so hard Harry...I just...I quit the ministry job and I've been living off of my vault you opened me," she sniffed, leaning once more into his embrace. He titled her chin up, wiping tears away,

"Why don't we go make some peppermint tea? I have scones in the kitchen, I do believe. The strawberries and cream kind you like," he smiled gently, and she smiled weakly back, wiping the rest of the tears from her face. It suddenly hit Harry how gorgeous his best friend was, even if she was starting to get small, minuscule folds and wrinkles from stress and heartbreak, she was breathtaking. Her hair had tamed to more of a purposeful, less frizzy curl, her eyes always held a twinkle of knowledge, her skin and shape was beautiful. She was beautiful. He had seen the look that Steve had given her, and he hoped that maybe the two could find solace in each other. Lord knows Hermione deserved a man like Steven Rogers.

The kettle whistled, and he levitated the tea set to follow him to the library where Hermione was curled on a large chaise lounge. There was a fire going, even though it was almost full blown spring in New York, simply because Harry loved fireplaces.

"So how has your magic been doing, as far as the fraying pathways and growing core thing goes? I did some research, that concluded that you need to find a stronger tutor than your random teachers and raw magic masters you've been stumbling across in your travels," Hermione changed the subject matter of fact, not allowing Harry any room to inquire about her personal life. Hermione was too damn stubborn. She would crack when she was ready.

"I figured that out too…" he then began to spill the story of Loki and Thor and the Avengers and meeting Tony and once he started he found he couldn't stop,

"It's as if…he understands me. Not only does he treat me like a…well…prince, but I'm also just Harry, I'm not alone, and he understands. It's so hard to describe really, how much I've grown to care about Anthony Stark in just a month" Harry said with a smile, taking another sip of his now almost chilled tea. Hermione was smiling warmly,

"So, not to derail you, but you know I find an interest in learning…especially from a god, a wizard god moreso…What is he going to teach you?" she edged to the edge of her seat, listening intently for whatever answer Harry might provide,

"I think he is going to help me focus my raw power more, enhance my magical core to be able to handle my amount of power…teach me the Asgardian ways of magic… He believes me to be an almost equal to him, which is why he's even wasting the time to teach me. So far we've talked about quite a bit of theory, and proper meditation. I find that the meditation is helping me greatly, in fact, I've also almost completely grasped the occlumency concept that's been so hard for me since Snape. It's helping nurture and strengthen my magical core, it is quite unbelievable." Harry finished in a whisper, now holding hands with Hermione as her whole body vibrated with excitement. She loved new knowledge.

"Can I attend one of your theory lessons? I wish to know so much more about Asgard" she whispered in awe, Harry smile and nodded his agreement.

The grandfather clock on the mantle struck 3:00am and reluctantly the two bid each other goodnight. For the first time in weeks, since admitting her pain to someone other than Draco, even if she didn't completely talk about it with Hary, Hermione fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.

Harry, however, laid in bed, stared at his ceiling, and took care of the butterflies collecting in his stomach at the thought of tomorrow night.


	17. Just a note Loves

Good Evening/Night/Afternoon/Morning Guys and Gals:

I'm very sorry I haven't posted in so long.  
>Not only is college kicking my ass as of right now, I'm also dealing with my depression and anxiety.<br>I was managing it quite well for the first half of the year, and its jumped back on me within the past couple of months.  
>For those of you who don't have experience with depression, especially coupled with anxiety, it is very very difficult for me to get out of bed most days. I've skipped class more this past month than I have in a year. It's very difficult to find motivation to do anything other than sleep or cry, and it takes very little to get me really upset and panicky.<p>

I'm not out to get sympathy reviews, I just wanted ya'll to know that the next chapter might take a little while. Just don't give up on me loves.

With love, E.J.M. 


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